


A Reader in the Stars

by Duckiehuey



Series: A Reader in the Stars [1]
Category: Firefly, Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: First two tags are warnings due to bad guys doing bad things to innocent alien families, Gen, Minor alien family death, Racism against aliens, Spock and River are BFF, Spoilers for Firefly, Spoilers for Star Trek 2009, Wash is a BAMF when working with River, pecan pie, spoilers for Serenity
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-05-28
Updated: 2013-08-22
Packaged: 2017-12-13 05:09:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 39,113
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/820364
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Duckiehuey/pseuds/Duckiehuey
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She found herself alone and in another universe. Now she's learning to live, to be independent. She learned to make friends and create a new family. She just needs to learn to accept that this is her future now.</p><p>River Tam finds herself separated from the Serenity and the crew and finds herself on Earth-That-Was.  Except it seems that this Earth is not like the one from the past because she was pretty sure that aliens never visited Earth.  While making a new life for herself, River joins Starfleet and meets new friends which includes a half-Vulcan.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Waking up

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is my first Star Trek and Firefly crossover fic and probably my only one. Just to warn you all, this fic is going to be based on the Star Trek 2009 and the Firefly is after the BDM. The setting of the fic is going to be couple years before the launch of the USS Enterprise to the five year voyage.

_She did not wake up right away. After the loud bang and the bright light, her eyes stayed closed. She could not hear anything afterwards. No brother screaming her name and an absence of cursing from the crude man ape. There were no thoughts intruding into her mind that belong to the man that she considered to be a father nor the panic prayers that she knew would have come from the beautiful woman who had finally found her place in life._

_Her body shivered from a chill that could be from the emptiness of mind or from the temperature of her surroundings. She stayed motionless, her mind trying to comprehend the situation. Equations and scenarios raced until she finally calmed herself. Two conclusions came to her at last._

_One, she was alone and two, she was currently alive._

_Her eyelids felt heavy as if she had been drugged with the newest variation of sedatives and antipsychotics that her brother shot her with in the earlier days of their fugitive phase. A thought crossed her mind that maybe she was drugged but it was dismissed. She knew what being drugged felt like after years of imprisonment- physically and mentally._

_At first, she could only see a mixed of blurred colors. She could comprehend that what she saw were greens, blues, blacks, browns, and whites. Slowly, her eyes adjusted themselves to focus and with each additional blink, the images cleared into trees, grass, woods, sky, and clouds._

_Shock, she realized, had affected her and it was dissipating from her body as her ears received murmurs, thoughts began to buzz into her mind, and feeling began to tingle onto her skin. In an instant, she shot up from her prone position and began to frantically view her surroundings._

_Trees. Flowers. Sky. Clouds. Benches. Fountains._

_A park, she realized, it was a park. How in 'verse did she get from her homey, run down, ship in the Black to this shinny bit of a planet? And where was the rest of her family? Panic filled her mind and she began to hyperventilate. Rage, sorrow, and loneliness filled her heart until she felt the need to scream, hit, and even kill something to make the feelings go away._

_"Civilian, your pulse and body temperature are rising. Are you in need of medical assistance?"_

_Turning quickly around, she looked at a human covered in a uniform that she had never seen before. Defiantly not Alliance standard. He even wore an odd mask over his head. Staring at the man for a moment she frowned in confusion. She could not sense anything from him. No thought, no emotion, no vision. Strange, he could not be a Reaver. Those gorram gosei things have thoughts that equal to the sound of a rocket booster._

**_…odd girl. What kind of clothing is that?_ **

**_-they let anyone wonder around here!_ **

**_-wonder what she did to get the android over to her._ **

_Android? She received an image of the human in front of her._

_"No." she shook her head in denial. "NO!"_

_She could vaguely hear the android thing saying something but all she could think of was denying. Denying the odd words and odd images that pressed into her brain. If she could deny it all, she would wake up and see her family. Just like what her brother's lover always tried to tell her to do with a nightmare. For this was a nightmare._

_Someone grabbed her and she snapped. Screaming, she thrashed around, hitting and crushing anything that came near her. Soon her fight was cut off as restraints of sorts immobilized her limbs and she felt deep intruding pain in her head from a thick long needle._

* * *

 

Gasping, she shot up from her bed, sweat cooling her heated skin. It took her a few minutes to realize that she was dreaming about her past or a moment of it. Shaking, she drew up her knees to her chest and breathed deeply. The end of the dream did not concluded the same way as what had happen to her two years ago.

The android called for medical assistance while she had scream and ran in panic. A sedative was used on her and she woke up in a medical hospital setting. For a time, she thought on the situation that she was in. For the first time in a long time, she welcomed the thoughts, images, and emotions that came to her. After an hour of merging herself with thoughts that were not her own; she pulled out and came to another conclusion.

She was not in a Core system or an Outer system.

She was in another universe.

A part of her was fascinated. She used to remember how she and her brother played out war games and what they would do in the face of enemy territory. Her brother had come up the conclusion to escape once he had all the information to do so. She had decided to integrate with the enemy until she was trusted enough to have access to the highest level of security and released the dinosaurs that she insisted had affected the war.

In a situation where she was ignorant and alone, she chose the decision that her younger self had declared ten years ago.

When asked of her name, origin, and contact information; she plea her ignorance of everything except of a name. They had tests done to her which were unfamiliar since it did not require for her to remain still for long periods of time. There were still shots but the pain was brief compared to what she was use to. These people, she realized as they work, were good people. They were not scientist making her into a weapon or coming after her because she could hear their secrets. There was pity, compassion, and even humor from these people.

They reminded her of her brother and the life he should have had.

They determined that she was sixteen and would be in need of a guardian until she scored high on a placement test that was meant to determine her state of mind. Soon, she had strangers coming after her with offers that she knew her brother would have been proud of if he were here. However, she could not trust anything since she could read the greed of their thoughts.

Publicity of an orphan genius and the school that took her in or the prestige of having a genius who match up with a Vulcan working in the company.

What was a Vulcan?

She thought back on what these schools would have offered if they ever knew about her past. They would have not taken in a fugitive wanted by a large government and risk their lives for her like her captain did. They would have killed her instead of giving her a second chance like her family did. They would have abandoned her instead of risking a future like her brother did. They would never be honest with their thoughts like man ape had always been.

It was not until a week later that a man came to her while she played with the PADD that was given to her. He had sat with her in silence watching her read through the data pad in a pace that would made anyone dizzy. Knowledge soaked into her mind as well as the thoughts of the man.

He thought her to be a tiny thing with pretty eyes. She liked that thought. Captain thought of her as a skinny thing with big eyes who could kick man ape's ass.

He thought that it was sad that she had no family and she was like many others who suffered a similar fate. Faces raced in her mind as he thought of children who suffered with no family.

He wondered if she would like to make herself into something at Starfleet.

"Starfleet Academy, circa 2161. Sited in San Francisco. From the stars, knowledge. You are a captain. You want me to join." She stated as she continue on the lesson of Vulcan culture.

She could feel his surprise at her talking about Starfleet.

"You recognize the uniform?" he asked.

"I recognized your face." She answered and pulled out a new article of the man shaking hands with another man. "You are Captain Christopher Pike. It is said that in a few years you will be captain of a new starship."

He chuckled at her.

"You've been a busy little lady."

"Why."

He looked at her in confusion for a moment before understanding what she meant.

"Why not?"

This took her away from the PADD. No one had such a philosophy similar to her captain's. But this man came close to it.

"Starfleet has many benefits for anyone who wants to explore and not just space. We have positions all over the Universe and it can be dangerous but rewarding as well." The captain pointed out.

He meant every word he said. In a way he was like man ape. Honest about what he knew and what he wanted. He wanted her to join Starfleet because he could see her rise to the top. Like that man he was thinking about.

"Go away. Need to study. Need to sleep. Need to think." She dismissed him.

He laughed at that and left her alone.

* * *

 

Now two years later, she was in Starfleet. Her superior mind had allowed her to soak in everything that was offered to her and she took placement test after placement test until the board acknowledged that she could not be a cadet. She could end up crushing cadet hopefuls by placing a standard that would be impossible to beat. In the end, she was promoted to commander after a year and seven months.

"Computer, time." She inquired softly.

"Time, 0545." the generic female computer voice answered.

Getting up, she went about a simple routine of cleaning and dressing in a black uniform. She ordered a breakfast of protein, fruit, and bread. This was something of her new life that she appreciated deeply. Fresh food even if it was technology made reminded her of the past she hid from her fellow commanders. She consumed the meal, thinking about how man ape would have eaten it with a hundred times less grace then a monkey.

Before she left her quarters, she looked at her reflection. She could see the difference two years had made. Instead of a skinny thing with big eyes, she had grown into a young woman. She was not curvy like many of the women she thought of as family but willowy and portioned right. Her best feature were her long legs which she remembered how the male cadets often thought that they could go on for miles. Her long dark hair was pinned up in a messy yet tidy bun that gave her a causal look.

"I wish you could see me now Simon. Your mei mei is grown up now." She whispered to her reflection.

Turning away, she exit out of her room and walked out into the Starfleet campus.

"Good morning, Commander Tam!" a chorus of male voices called out. Hearing their ridiculous fantasies, she flashed a smile.

If those boys only knew that Commander River Tam knew about good mornings in a rickety old Firefly class ship, they would have pissed in their pants.


	2. Meeting the Vulcan Boob

Being nearly eighteen and a commander would appear to be a huge accomplishment for any one that is human or alien. However River Tam found it to be stifling. She knew how much her fellow commanders envied her accomplishments. Being unable to hide her psychic abilities with her poor control, she had to tell the truth about them to her superiors. At least she knew that they would value her instead of dissecting her brain before she took such a risk. Many were uncomfortable with the discovery however accepted her.

However everyone else in Starfleet were mostly ignorant to River’s reading ability.  There was a rumor stating that she had means to find out what was going on in campus although what those means were was never stated clearly.  Many of the commanders stayed away from her as the result of those rumors. She could guess that they feared that she would discover and steal their knowledge for any future projects or missions.

River was not interested in such trivial matters. If she wanted to figure out how to warp a shuttle the size of a house from Earth to the next quadrant, she would have done it. In fact she already did, however disregard in showing her findings. A shuttle would need to be built to stand warp speed first and she had no interest in making one. Kaylee would and the Captain would have demanded for one.

Smiling at her thoughts, she looked over to the next PADD of essays that she assigned for her class. Honestly, teaching Interspecies Ethics and Protocol was important work; however she wondered just how some of these cadets could even possible think about dealing with other species with crappy essays – the man ape had better sense than half of these cadets.

In dealing with a Klingon, shooting them before then get to you is not the correct answer. It was a good one, but not the correct one.

A ringing filled her ears and she looked up to see that she had a call coming in. Swiveling from her chair, she accepted the call and looked to see Captain Pike on the screen.

"Salutations and thanks, captain. What is your need?" River asked with expectations. Captain Pike was the only man she felt that was comfortable enough in her company and vice versa. He did not mind too much that she could read his thoughts and at times found her gift to be useful when he sent a silent joke to her without pissing off the headmaster or council during a meeting. While she could feel thoughts and emotions miles away at times, it was difficult to pinpoint the exact person from a distance. However her gut was telling her that Captain Pike needed her for something. Something that the other commanders could or would not deal with.

"Sharp as ever, commander. I need your help with a new commander."

This perked her interest. She knew something interesting was going on in the academy; however she did not bother with the trouble to uncover it.

"I was unaware that we were getting new personnel. Do you need my special abilities to uncover something?" she inquired. River hoped not. Reading a person was boring if they think such mundane thoughts. With commanders it was always about being the top dog.

"Not really. I believe that the two of you would be good teammates since both of you are similar to each other in manner and intelligence. Please meet me in the West Dining Hall in Section A at 1200. That's an order commander." Captain Pike said with a teasing smile. She nodded at that and dropped the communication.

With six more essays to go, she zipped through them with cruel comments of their lack of finesse in handling the situation and left for her lunch meeting.

* * *

 

River was beginning to gain a headache when she reached the Dining Hall. The downside of being a reader was that she could hardly ever be surprised by anything. From the cadets to the commanders and other personnel, she already knew that Captain Pike was seen walking in the same direction just minutes before with a tall male who appeared to be humanoid. There were thoughts on the male's pointy ears, his broad physic and his bowl head haircut. He looked like a nerdy version of Simon, her brother. Also from the expression she received from the images, he seemed to be a boob like Simon.

Entering the dining hall she took a quick look and headed towards the table with Captain Pike and his guest without hesitation. She saw that Captain Pike had ordered her meal from the replicator earlier and she wasted no time to reach him.

"Commander Tam. Thank you for joining us. I would like you to meet Commander Spock Grayson of the Vulcan sector. His father is Ambassador Sarek. Commander Spock, I would like you to meet Commander River Tam. She's in charge of Interspecies Ethics and Protocol. She's our youngest commander in the history of Starfleet." Captain Pike stated for the introductions.

River held her hand up in the Vulcan greeting and spoke in a steady clear voice in the alien language. Keeping her eyes to his, Commander Spock returned the greeting and she sat down. The Vulcan was handsome in an intelligent way, like Simon. In fact he was so similar to her brother that she felt like rolling her eyes at him for being so serious over a lunch. The difference was that the Vulcan was not showing any outward signs of nervousness that Simon would have done. There was no extra blink in the eyes or a tight smile that was meant to be pleasant.

The Vulcan's thoughts were interesting though. His thoughts were pretty organized about scientific facts that she knew and some she did not. It would be fun to learn everything this Vulcan has to offer without bothering him too much. She could sense curiosity about herself. He wondered about how a human so young was able to rise so high. How did the cadets feel about being taught by a commander who was technically their peer? He had many questions.

"I have amnesia. Took an aptitude test and passed it with flying colors. The cadets don't seem to mind or if they did, they keep it to themselves. The Board here at Starfleet believes that if I enter as a cadet, it would cause discord among with the rest of the cadets." She answered with a small smile. Taking a bite of her salad, she could barely detect a widening of the eyes and a shallow intake of air from her new fellow commander. Captain Pike gave a grin at the Vulcan sitting next to him.

"I forgot to mention this Spock. Commander Tam has telepathic abilities. I believe they differ to what your people are capable of."

Commander Spock took a moment to chew a bit of fruit before speaking.

"It would have benefited me to learn of this before hand, captain. I understand how tiring mind reading abilities can be to my species and I would have prepared myself from giving Commander Tam any grievances."

"Don't worry. It wouldn't have matter if you did. There are over a thousand people here and none of them can keep their thoughts to themselves. I'm use to the traffic." River assured the Vulcan remembering with bitterness on why she had to get used to it. "I understand that your species have similar abilities to mine but you need to physically touch them. I've been curious on what would happen if you attempt to do that on me."

The subject on telepathy gave them common ground. Soon it broadened to mythology between humans and Vulcans to other species. When they reached to the science of the hyper drives that are being created, Captain Pike excused himself and left the two in their conversation. He took the time to watch the two for a couple of minutes before smiling at the scene.

River Tam was lively enough if the person could hold her interest. However he had the feeling that with her telepathy, it made things difficult for her to communicate with others. He had seen how many of the cadets shy away from her and the commanders avoid her as much as possible. River was like perfection both in intelligence and in physical ability. No one could match her when it any subjects-no one that was human. Maybe the half-Vulcan who chose Starfleet over the Science Academy could reach her and vice versa.

Spock was close enough to her intellect and River was sociable enough to make him feel welcomed. Goodness knows that Vulcan would need that when he puts up his curriculum for the Vulcan studies course and the xenobiology course. Those poor cadets will be dropping like flies to get out of it.

* * *

 

River found that she liked Spock. He was definitely like Simon in intelligence and manners. He was also a huge boob. Lusty thoughts of Spock kept jumping in from the female cadets who passed by with a look that would have made men feel confident in their egos. She knew man ape Jayne would have been strutting around and whistling at the more curvy ones.

Spock failed to understand why the female cadets were blinking two times the average human or why their eye lids were rested half way. He found it illogical since good vision is important to their career in Starfleet. And why was that one licking her lips? She had adequate amount of lubricant for her lips and her saliva would not give extra protection from dryness.

River rolled her eyes at his thoughts and placed a hand on his bare wrist. She could feel him tense at the touch but did not remove her hand.

_They think you're attractive, you boob._

Earlier, River and Spock experimented on their telepathy to each other. River found that she could access into Spock's mind easier and that she could simply concentrate on his alone when they touch. Spock, however, found that her mind was a mess of strong emotions and odd memories with no sequence. There were memories that were illogical to him and gave him pain to access. He wondered if this mess came from the amnesia that the young commander was suffering from and that her mind blocked these memories. He proposed that they should not connect for long periods of time or do a mind meld which was more intense than what they were currently experimenting. There was one positive result from their exercise.

River was able to send her thoughts to Spock when she touched the Vulcan. It was a good thing since she could communicate to him without speaking out loud and embarrass him.

She could feel him questioning the word boob and why he was one.

_It means you're a fool and I say so._

"Have you been to San Francisco before, Spock?" she asked, changing the subject. She felt his annoyance before he followed her conversation.

"As my father is the Ambassador for Vulcan, I assure you that I have been to some of the sites in the city but not all."

"Me either. I've been stuck with course work and catching up with everything about Starfleet. Discovering alone is boring. We'll need to schedule an outing between the two of us. I've heard Chinatown is interesting." River said with a smile.

"That would be acceptable. I still need to complete the syllabus for my courses and the academy has asked me to create a new stimulation for the final exam in Starfleet." Spock replied. River took the time to read his memory of the request and giggled.

_A no-win exam? One where the cadets have to experience death and failure? That's silly._

Spock gave her a look and she read his confusion on why she thought it was silly. He felt that it was logical for the academy to give the cadets a situation where they would be able to understand what they would experience in the field. Her reply to him had a cold hard edge what made him understand that she knew what death was.

_Because a simulation is nothing like the real thing. I think you should understand that concept better than anyone else._

A memory of his childhood played out and he knew what she meant. A concept that is known does not apply to all and he did know that better than anyone else.

_Quit moping you boob. Let's look over the current syllabus of your courses and see if you can use any of it._

When Spock gave his affirmative, River felt like she was hanging out with her brother. He always did what she wanted and agreed to her superior knowledge – dinosaurs or not. Plus Simon was such a boob like Spock, only she had a feeling that Spock's love life was going to be worse than her brother's.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope that you guys like this meeting between Spock and River. Did it sound like how River and Spock would have met and talk?


	3. A Little of S and a Little of Z

Over the next term of Starfleet, River found herself having a decent time with Spock as her partner and friend. The two stuck together whenever possible and helped each other in their respective courses. Whenever Spock had to meet with the council over his teachings (apparently several cadets protested his teachings were harsher than necessary), River helped out by grading the essays, tests, or reports so her friend would not be burdened. In turn, Spock allowed her to drag him around outside of Starfleet campus to explore.

The first time they had time together, River dragged him to Chinatown where Spock found the area to be fascinating. Over 80 percent of the population was Asian in decedent and he discovered that he enjoyed the vegetarian Chinese cuisine. The half Vulcan also discovered that his female friend was fluent in Chinese. River chattered, cursed, and questioned in the language as a native instead of a second language. He knew his friend could easily learn a language in as little as a week and could perfect the dialect in as little as an hour, however she seemed comfortable with this language as well as the common.

River kept touching his hand in answering his questions without embarrassing him in front of strangers. She understood his peeve of being ignorant of something he knew he had no control over. She began to teach him the Chinese language mentally as they continue their outing.

They stopped at a small restaurant where it consists of a three counters with burners spaced out with the chairs. River had seen from the regular customers just what sort of restaurant this place was and she felt that this would be a good place for her alien friend to try out. Sitting together, River ordered in Chinese for a regular order for herself and that her friend was strictly a vegetarian. The owner was happy to serve a pretty girl who could speak Chinese and her friend.

The restaurant that they had entered was a hot pot or Huo guo eating house. It consists of customers having a pot and cooking their own vegetables and meats on their own. There were bigger pots where a family could share at a table and the environment was comfortable.

While waiting for their meals to cook, River took the time to think about her alien friend while Spock stared at his own pot in meditative silence.

Her first impression of Spock was that he could be an alien Simon. She could see it in his intelligence, his ignorance, and his manners and this all gave her reasons to stick close to her friend. However, over the weeks, she began to see something else in Spock. Due to his Vulcan heritage, Spock spoke his mind and stood firmly to his opinion. There were times where she notice his words tend to have a double meaning or a code that only she could understand. River once attended to one of the meetings over Spock's teaching and she had to keep her face still from Spock's heavily veiled insults to the board on their lack of sense in believing that the cadets could go out into the field with such low standards.

Simon would and could not be that devious on an everyday basis. He was too honest and honorable to live in a political world like Spock had been in Vulcan and now in Starfleet. She read his memories on his choice of attending to Starfleet instead of the Science Academy in Vulcan. She knew his life during his years as a cadet. There were few that befriend him, but most were older than he and were commanders in their own right.

This alien man, River realized, was similar to Zoe - the beautiful and deadly woman who always stood beside her captain through thick and thin. Loyal and a great deal of sense were her ways of handling things. Zoe was also cold in calculating at a situation whenever necessary. River could vaguely remember times before the Miranda event that broke most of her psychosis and one of those times was when Zoe had to choose between her husband and the captain. She chose to leave the captain who had a higher chance in surviving the wait of a rescue from the rest of the crew.

"It appears that our food is ready."

River looked up from her thoughts and saw that the beef had changed from light red to a gray.

"Jing cai! Wuo men chr fuan!" she said and with quick precision, had all of the cook beef on her plate. Dipping it into the soy based sauce, she hummed in appreciation. No matter what, River doubt that she would ever take a meal for granted. Back in her old life, fresh food was sacred out in the Black. There were months at a time where all they could eat was protein mush.

Spock gave a nod before taking out his meal from the boiling pot. He had observed how the patrons were eating their meals and could state with confidence that he knew the proper manner in eating this type of meal. River gave a delicate snort at that thought.

Her friend was a mix of Simon and Zoe. This thought comfort and discomfort her at the same time.

* * *

 

By the end of the term, River found a routine that began to bore her. All she could do was eat, sleep, teach, exercise, spar with Spock (he was the only one who could stand to spar against her evenly), wander around, poke her nose where it was not wanted, and repeat. The only breaks from the monogamy were the occasional outings that she would share with Spock. This had caused rumors among the cadets that she and Spock were dating, sleeping, or something together. She could read the thoughts of the other higher ups however none of them had confronted her or Spock of their supposed relationship.

Both of them were the best that Starfleet had to offer so far in the new generation and there was no real evidence that could prosecute them before the board.

* * *

 

She was in one of the many gyms and currently dancing to some old music from the early 21st century. The song seems like a slow one but she could sense the beat to be moderately fast. Kicking up her legs in the air, swaying her hips, lifting her arms in an arc, to the rest of the world, River was the personification of grace and poetry in movement. She knew she was gathering an audience with the rest of the world, however she did her best to ignore it all. Dancing was the one thing that this new world did not take away from her.

"Tam to Pike."

With a leap in the air, she landed next to her comm and answered.

"Captain Pike, another favor? Computer shut off music." River commanded.

"Nothing like that. You have orders. Mission to scout out new dilithium source in the Beta quadrant. You'll be under Captain Faulken's command along with Spock. They'll be leaving for a shuttle at 0800. Get packing."

River wrinkled her nose at that. This mission was odd.

"Insufficient amount of warning, sir."

"Sorry Commander, but all I can say is that it is urgent. All the details will be sent to you once you reached your quarters. Good luck."

With that, the comm shut off leaving River to puzzle at her mission. A normal mission would have given time to prepare both the people and the ships. This sudden urgent order meant that the ship was ready but the personnel were chosen at the last minute or ordered at the last minute. Whatever it was, she had a feeling that time was at the essence. Her mind wandered until she could feel Spock's mind. She could feel her worries in his mind, but he had pushed it back. Right now, he was thinking about what to pack, how much time he would be out in the space, and if he should settle his plans for next term's lessons.

River sighed at his thoughts. At least she could be able to discuss her thoughts with him later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jing cai! Wuo men chr fuan! - Brilliant! Let's eat dinner! (this is as close of a translation as possible.)


	4. Overlapping Memories

River found that she hated the ships of Starfleet or even on this gou sai of a universe. She agreed that the design was shiny and looked less bulky then some of the ships back home, but she felt nothing could beat Serenity. Many have looked down on her old design, but there was no other ship that could fly as smooth and fast as her.

Which brings back to her distaste of the survey ship that she was stuck in with a pilot whose skills were worse than a Reaver. At least they were now in warp and she did not have to think about her fantasies of knocking said pilot and taking over the piloting herself. Picking up her PADD, she studied the mission brief and shivered.

Something was not adding up with this mission. River scanned through the details over for the fifth time and threw the PADD on her bed. The mission was to check for dilithium crystals in the Beta quadrant in a planet cluster near the edge of known space. However, she was reading a direct course to one of the planets from the navigator's thoughts, and the captain's thoughts were confusing as well. He knew only that the source needs to be secure and that his information was received like the rest of the crew.

"Spock to Tam." She called out.

Spock answered the called with polite greetings. River quickly switched to Vulcan as she paced nervously in her room.

"None of the crew understands what is going on. The captain knows for certain which planet, but he doesn't know where he got his orders from. I don't like this." She began nervously. Spock was quiet for a moment before he answered.

"I agree that the whole process is irrational for the Federation. While dilithium is in high demand, this rash action that has us congregates with this crew is flawed in logic in terms of regulation and safety."

River pacing began to grow faster as her mind was throwing in thoughts of fear and paranoia. She could not tell if this was strictly from herself or from the rest of the people in the ship. Taking deep breaths, she tried to push those thoughts away to concentrate with her much needed conversation with Spock.

"What do you think we should do?"

"At this moment, we do not have enough sufficient data to abort this mission. Our best course in action would be to continue and see what will come from it." Spock answered seriously. River bit her bottom lip and nodded.

"I agree."

They ended the call together and River flopped on the bed. She did not like this at all.

Going on a mission with a captain like Faulken made her want to vomit until she had nothing left. It was not that the man was bad, but she was use to having a captain who had a plan or something like a plan. With Captain Malcolm Reynolds, she knew what the plan was. Get the job done, shoot anyone who shoots at you, and run like hell were the actions she had lived by with Captain, Zoe, and man ape Jayne.

Curling her body into a ball, she began mumbling prayers to whatever god could hear. She began with Buddha and ended with God. She recited the prayers she had heard old man Book often thought in his head and then started cursing everything she ever heard man ape recite. For the first time in two years, River Tam felt scared and helpless.

* * *

 

The planet, dubbed Alpha 12, had breathable air and a stable climate for them to transport down. She and Spock had their tricords ready to scan for dilithium crystals. The planet was barren of green life and there were no scans of any other life forms.

"Fascinating, the air seems to be similar to that of Vulcan in terms of humidity and temperature." Spock murmured. River blinked but said nothing. She was afraid that anything she said was going to come out funny like her riddles in her fugitive years.

_Two by two, hands of blue._

Shaking her head out of that memory, she began to walk in one direction towards a cavern. She felt the rest following her, but she kept her eyes on her tricord. If anyone was impressed by her skills of avoiding a dip that appeared before her feet or jumping up a small rise in the path, they kept it to themselves.

It was about twenty minutes later that their paths came upon a large cave. Both tricords began beeping a signal that dilithium was possibly in the ground of the planet. At this point, the party gave a report to the ship of the location before turning on light sources to continue their journey.

The cave consists of red brown dirt and rock and rose high above them as they entered. The wind blew heavily that it was difficult to hear anyone walking much less anything else. River continued to lead, crossing this way and that. She could read the party's hopes that she would remember how to exit out of the cave with the exception of Spock. The half Vulcan had already memorized their current location and could easily recite their way out. At least she had Spock to count on.

It was not until about three miles into the cave that the signals were strong enough to indicate where the material was. Entering the coordinates into the tricord, River put it away and looked down to see a glimmer of blue.

_Two by two, hands of blue._

She gasped as an image pierced her mind. Screams filled her ears and faces with rage practically knocked her physically against the wall of the cave.

"Commander Tam!"

The scouting party was in shock at her actions while Spock simply placed a hand on her face, trying to relive her of the emotional burden.

"We're not the first." She murmured while calming her furiously beating heart. "Someone came and found it. Went away and came back to hide it. It's theirs they think. Another found it and they didn't like it. They made them go away. They made them go away."

Spock was looking through what she saw and his eyes narrowed a fraction. He could see the images that plagued her but it was difficult to distinguish them from another image that over lapped. However he could see what the problem was.

"Klingons. It would appear that the Klingons have found this dilithium source and has eliminated the previous scouting party. This explains the unusual haste of this mission. A previous scouting party found this same source of dilithium and reported it. We can assume that they had reported their findings but made no more communication due to their immediate deaths upon meeting the Klingons." Spock stated.

"Shit! Obrien to Faulken!" Faulken yelled. The call was answered with static. The entire party was pale with the possible realization of their ship being blown away by Klingon war ships.

"Not Klingons." River murmured. Spock raised an eyebrow at that. "No loyalty, no love. Want power, want what's theirs."

Digging deeper into her mind, Spock began to understand what she was talking about. Their current enemy was a group of rebel Klingons who wanted to be away from their empire. This was even more dangerous than an Imperial war ship. There was a chance of negotiations with those of the Empire, but rebels would not listen. The Federation meant nothing to them.

"Can you move or do you need assistance." He asked his human friend. They would need to leave this cave as soon as possible. Their advantage would increase if they left this cave. At least their party would have visibility that did not need the assistance of artificial light sources.

River was still before she pushed away from him and began to jog towards the exit. The rest did the same and soon, all of them were running to leave the underground deathtrap. Their running steps drummed loudly as well as their panic gasps of air. The air hummed with fear and tension with the exception of Spock who easily kept up with the pace and appeared he was taking a morning jog.

However, their hopes of escape dash as they heard running footsteps and loud snarling war cries of the Klingons.

"Scatter!" Faulken roared and dove behind a pillar, taking out his phaser. Spock grabbed River and dove behind a ridge of rock.

It all went to hell after that.

* * *

 

River winced as she heard a scream of pain. Apparently there were a lot of Klingons and phasers of six men could only do so much before a lucky Klingon cuts them. She kept trying to control her thoughts of the rage from the Klingons and the fear from the ensigns and one captain. Spock had kept looking over the ridge to seek a chance to attack, but with the shooting from his frantic comrades, it would not be wise to attempt anything.

The screams and the roars began to take a toll for River. She closed her eyes, hoping it will help, however it enhanced the noise by tenfold.

"Go away." She muttered as she clapped her hands on her ears. Her body began to rock and shake back and forth. Spock looked down and began to help by placing a hand to share the burden his friend was suffering. River, he decided, would benefit with Vulcan teachings in mediation if they ever survive this situation.

The images disturbed him greatly as they rushed through. Unlike the first time he had tried to read her mind, the memories he was receiving were concentrated on an event. A small dark room, a weak looking barricade that was easily crushed by many humanoids…what were they? Covered in blood, screaming, and angry. He could feel terrible, horrible, anger. It was not like his own anger when the Vulcan children had insulted his mother and father. It was not like the anger he felt when the council had insulted his mother and his father had done nothing to object.

The anger he felt was impossible for humans or any alien being could produce. It was a tidal wave of emotion that he felt could rip his karta into dust. These beings were anger, fury, and remorseless in their physical state.

So distracted from these memories, he failed to notice the battle around him. One Klingon had gotten near their hiding place and smashed his double-headed ax against a pillar of rock. Debris flew all over the place and one large piece struck the Vulcan on the head.

His connection was ripped and he found himself lying on the ground. He could smell blood running down a cut on his forehead and he felt the possible signs of a concussion. Blinking rapidly he tried to get up.

However a hand stopped him. Looking up, he found that River was staring at him with horror, her lips pressed tightly and her trembling hand that was free reaching out to touch the cut. As gentle fingers touched his skin, her eyes went blank.

_You take care of me Simon. You've always taken care of me. My turn._

Spock found himself wondering just who Simon was before River disappeared in a flurry of motion. Rising as quickly as he could, he looked over, trying to warn his friend that it was impossible to escape, only to stare in shock.

He had always known that River Tam was easily the most skilled hand-to-hand combat human in Starfleet, however he had never seen her perform in a battle setting such as now.

A girl who was a third of these Klingon's weight had disabled one of his weapons and sliced his throat in a smooth arc. She cut an arm off of another and armed herself with the fallen weapon with her free hand. Then she kicked the injured Klingon down and stabbed him with the sharp end of the weapon. Soon she had gathered the attention of the entire group of murderous Klingons and they surrounded her, attempting to destroy the strongest threat.

Spock would realize later on that the rest of the surviving Starfleet party had stopped their attacks to stare in awe and fear of the youngest Starfleet commander's prowess in battle. While his human side felt fury at their incompetence, his logical side saw that any assistance would hinder Commander Tam's progress.

Each kick appeared to have a gentle grace despite the power it knock into the Klingon that received it. Her arms were smooth and fluid as if she were fighting with light paper fans instead of the heavy Klingon weapons. It looked like it was a dance to the death instead of desperate attempt to survive.

She, Spock thought, was focused. There was no hesitation in her thrusts, kicks, and slices. There was no remorse for the enemy that she cut down. There was no fear.

This was not her first time to end a life. Fascinating and frightening. Spock wondered if this attributed to her amnesia. Or if she ever had amnesia to begin with. He had noticed that she recognized the memory that they shared. She knew what that memory was. He would need to get the truth from her.

"Holy shit. She just…" a male voice called out weakly.

The half Vulcan turned his attention to the scene and found that all of the Klingons were dead and that River stood in the middle of the massacre. There was blood all over her, but it was not hers. Klingon blood splatters and stained all over her skin and uniform. Her form was tense, as if she did not believe the enemy was gone. Somehow, Spock knew that this was a rather dangerous moment for them all.

"Captain, what do we do?" another ensign whispered. Spock watched Faulken shake his head in fear. Everyone stared at Spock, expecting something from him. Logically, he was the best choice in retrieving River from this odd emotional state. However a tiny whisper sneered in his thoughts that they would rather sacrifice the alien then their own.

"River. It is finished." Spock called out loudly. His head was beginning to form a pounding headache.

She spun so fast with the weapons up that it surprised everyone. Her eyes connected with his for a long moment. Spock could see that her brown eyes were searching for something. They flickered to the rest of the party and landed on Faulken who bulked at the stare. That seemed to surprise her before she landed her eyes back on Spock.

"It is finished, River." Spock repeated.

It was another minute before the weapons dropped on the ground with a loud thunk. River dropped her arms and looked at the scene before her eyes went back to Spock. There was a curious looking frown on her face.

"You're bleeding." She stated. Spock was about to nod but decided against the action.

"That is correct. I was hit with a large piece of debris and I believe to be suffering a minor concussion."

"It's green. Your blood is green." She continued as if she did not notice his assessment. River pursed her lips in annoyance. "Green and red makes brown. It should be brown."

Raising an eyebrow, Spock looked down at his human friend.

"That statement is illogical."

Looking annoyed, River glared to the side. Her head was pounding from the fear the useless ensigns and lack wit of a captain. At least Spock was okay. However she felt his demand for answers. Her fear had override her need to hide and showed a powerful memory to Spock – a memory that links to others and led the Vulcan to the conclusion that her amnesia was false.

"Faulken to Obrien! Captain, are you all right?!"

While Faulken yelled at his crew for the lack of warning of a Klingon war party and as they walked away from the cave to be beamed back to the ship, the two friends stayed silent.

They both knew that it was time for the truth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this chapter is what you're all looking for. This is going to get their friendship turn into a whole another level.


	5. Spilling the Truth, Maybe

They had stayed in orbit for a week before they went back again to survey the planet. Faulken had an investigation going on about the lack of intel of rogue Klingons before it was discovered that his own communications officer had not been paying attention to his own station until the ship's own scanners managed to pick up the beat up Klingon ship.

The man was court marshaled on the spot and Spock had to take over the job. Thus, leaving River all by herself to do the surveying of the land.

She was stuck with a group of ensigns, the captain declared that he wanted to contact Starfleet about the events, and she was getting cross at the thoughts that kept pushing into her mind. Most of it was fear and awe. The stupid ensigns were in awe of a commander who can kick a melee of Klingons all on her own and were fearful of pissing her off.

This, she thought, was another block between herself and everyone else. Another point that she was above them when all she wanted was to be normal. Or at least as normal as she could be.

It was nearly two weeks before River and Spock confirmed that there was an additional three pockets of dilithium along with the original site. Alpha 12 was not the richest in the material but it was decent. They stayed for an additional two weeks to ensure that the Federation would be the only one to mine this planet before ships with mining equipment arrived with three star ships for protection.

Finally, _USS_ _Obrien_ was going back to base.

* * *

 

River leaned against the window of space in her quarters. She could only remember seeing space from the cockpit, not her own room. Taking a deep breath, peace settled upon her body. So much had happen in the space of one day and yet the days afterward were mundane. She had yet to tell the truth that Spock wanted.

They were too busy to have a serious talk that was outside of the mission. Spock spent most of his days stuck doing someone else's job and she was stuck doing the work of two people. There was coordinates that need to be recorded, dimensions of the caves and caverns that contained the dilithium, the chemical content of the air, and the estimate of dilithium that could be extracted had to be calculated and sent to Starfleet for review.

It made River appreciate the idea of being a smuggler even more than before.

Now, there was nothing more that needs to be done. In five minutes, she would be back at Starfleet academy and she would have to talk with Spock. Sighing, she twirled away from the view, biting her lip. What could she do? Lie about what he saw? Tell him everything? Pushing all the thoughts away, River wished that she had Mal here with her. At least he would know- scratch that, she wished that Inara was here. Inara was always good at making up stories and convincing people what she wanted- except with Mal.

The almost eighteen year old scrunched up her nose at the thought. Those two were worse than Simon. At least Simon tries when he wasn't looking out for her. Mal and Inara were stupid children denying everything that ought to be. To be fair, they had gotten better after Miranda. Inara had taken a sabbatical from her work although Mal was hoping she would quit what he called was whoring. River personally thought that what Inara did for a career was no more different than what anyone else would do at Starfleet. People sleep their way to the top or just for the lust of it. It was not like Inara was in it for the sex; she was into the art of being a Companion.

She picked up thoughts coming close to her quarters and pouted. It was Spock and he was determined to get the truth as of now.

River opened the door before her friend could give any indication that he had arrived. If he was surprised, he showed no sign of it. They both silently entered her room and River had the computer lock the door. Spock took a seat and she once again leaned against her window. Tapping her foot, she waited for Spock to say something first. There was no gorram way that she was going to say anything first.

"You do not have amnesia."

River rolled her eyes at that. He was definitely to the point.

"No."

"Will you explain to me why you gave a falsehood on the initial interview with those that found you?"

"Maybe."

There was a silence and River felt his irritation of her short answers. Well tuff. It's not like he understood what it was like to be ripped from everything that was home.

"Is there any reason why you are unable to trust me with your reasoning?"

She could feel the start of his resentment of being half Vulcan and half Human. She felt bad for making him feel doubts from being born different with no place to fit in. River spaced out and relived his memories of the Vulcan children who mocked him of his parentage. The fight he had gotten into at the age of ten Terran years. His fears of resenting his mother for something she had no control over. She could feel how deep his love for his mother was. It was the same as Simon's love for her.

Warm and gentle was that love. River made a sound of contentment at the love shone deep in her friend.

"I trust you. I just don't think you believe me. People had trouble believing me before." she answered softly. They were silent for a time before Spock rose from his seat. Walking up to the female who was his friend, he offered his hand above her face.

"A mind meld. That will help prove your story is factual and you may extract a request from me of secrecy if that is what you wish."

River smiled at him sadly.

"Unless it is a danger to Starfleet?" she asked him, pulling out his thoughts in the open.

"Will it be a danger to Starfleet and any Federation system?" Spock inquired. He was worried about Vulcan. River stared at his offered hand for a few seconds.

"The only danger is _me_." she answered ominously before snatching his hand and slammed it over her face.

With a scream of thoughts and emotions, Spock blacked out.

* * *

 

For a time, Spock was unable to gain any bearings to control the mind meld. This was unusual and disconcerting. While he may only be half Vulcan, he was proficient enough to control a mind meld. He waited for three minutes and forty-seven seconds before he finally felt River and a memory appeared.

The memory contained a lavish home with a pleasing garden. It was a place that he knew his mother would enjoy visiting. He looked around to see the stars since it was dark and found himself frowning at the location of the stars. It he understood what he was seeing, they were not on Earth. These stars could be seen somewhere in the Alpha quadrant.

_This is my home. On the planet Osiris._

Spock blinked in surprise at that. He was unaware that there were humans living other than Earth and space.

_That's because there is no Earth._

His feeling of shock practically consumed him. How was it...

The memory changed into a view of space. The view was that from a space shuttle leaving Earth. The Earth instead of a blue planet was turning into a dried and dying planet.

_Earth was dying and my ancestors left to find other worlds that we would survive on. Most of the population got out before the planet literally exploded. They found other systems where they terra formed the planets. We call our home planet Earth-that-Was._

The memory quickly changed into a planet that a blue like Earth and Spock was able to see it was populated with cities and star ships, very odd star ships.

_Some of the planets were populated and were called the Core planets. They were the sophisticated ones. The more civilized ones._

He could feel a distinct sneer at River's description. He filed it away for later. The memory changed into a different planet. He could see that it was not populated like the previous planet and the habitations were poor.

_Those planets that were farther out of the Core systems are the Outter Rim planets. People with less resources live there and people who wanted to get rich quick. It's a place where justice doesn't exist._

Where was the governing agent?

_The Alliance was the governing body._

Star ships appeared in the space, large and bulky. Spock found himself rising an eyebrow at the poor design of the fleet. They vaguely reminded him of the Klingon's war birds only worse.

_There was a dispute about their right to govern, but their numbers ruled. Many died over the battles, especially Serenity._

There was flash of a very odd ship before Spock found himself staring at a family. They looked happy and loving. One was a boy about fourteen and there a little girl of six chatting over what looked like a PADD. The father was sitting reading a file while watching his children and the mother was reading a book.

_That was my family. My brother Simon always made time for me._

That was when the memories began to get distorted. Spock felt like he was watching several memories at the same time but it would not slow down until it stopped with a man clutching his throat before falling over. The surrounding was oddly bare with a table, chair and a mirror. He could see the reflection of River dressed in a plain uniform. There was dark circle and her expression was not rational.

_I'm afraid that my memories are messy. When I was in my early teens, I joined a school that was supported by the Alliance. It was suppose to be for children with advance education._

_It was a lie._

Flashes of memories appeared and Spock could distinguish some of them. There was a memory of a physical test and then there was a simulation. Another was a bed being ripped apart and then there was a letter being written. However it was going too fast for him to fully understand what was showing.

_The sponsor for the school was called Blue Sun. They were trying to create human weapons in both the physical and mental sense. Little human soldiers for them to play. For a time I was fine. Then something happened._

Spock found himself facing an on slaughter of emotions that overwhelmed him in levels that he knew not were possible. He thought the mental connection he shared with River on Alpha 12 was overwhelming. It was nothing compared to this rape.

_I was fourteen when they decided to cut into my brain and remove most of the amygdala. That day my reading abilities went out of control._

It took him ten minutes and thirty-three seconds for Spock to compose himself. He could feel that River was waiting him to gain his composure before she went on. He felt himself being disgusted and fascinated at these humans. Would Starfleet operate such travesties in the future?

_Simon saved me. He risked everything for me. He thinks I don't know, but our parents disowned him because he saved me._

The image of Simon appeared and this time he was in his twenties. He was handsome in human terms and Spock found that there were similarities in their basic appearance. Dark hair and a need for protocol was what River saw between the two. From several other memories, Simon was a doctor and a brilliant one. Spock found that it was a pity that Simon was not among the medical personnel of Starfleet.

_Blue Sun wanted me back and we became fugitives. Simon was worried about who to trust and how to run. He hid me as one of his cargo. He was such a boob._

There was a hint of amusement and affection at that thought. There was no memory but the feeling was comforting. Then suddenly there was image of people staring and the memory was shaky as it moved from one person to another before it went black.

_Simon found a ship called Serenity. He thought the ship looked like luh-suh, but he got a crush on the mechanic, Kaylee._

An attractive girl in her early twenties wearing poor mechanic clothing and the image of the odd ship appeared. Spock took a moment to study the ship. It was nothing he had ever seen of a star ship. There was a look to it that reminded him of a horse. It contained one main engine with two thrusters. The design of it suggested that it did not do warp traveling.

_Serenity was a Firefly class. It’s supposed to be a firefly. It was pretty old model during my time._

Spock could see it, but soon images of the cockpit and the speed and mobility of the ship fascinated him greatly. Many of the shuttles of the Federation did not have half of the mobility that this Serenity did and if it had warp capabilities, it would be a greatly desired ship.

_When they found out that Simon and I were fugitives of the Alliance, Captain Malcolm Reynolds took us in exchange for Simon's expertise in medicine. The others took time to warm up to us but we became a family of sorts. There was Zoe and Wash. They got married. Then there was man-ape Jayne. He's loves his ma very much. There was Shepard Book whose bible I tried to fix but he got mad. Then there's Inara. Mal turns into a huge boob around her._

With each name, a memory of the person appeared. First it was a man in his thirties wearing clothing that was not a uniform. In fact if Spock were to go into detail, the clothing was similar to the films of the western genre of entertainment. A couple was next consisting of a handsome African woman with a Caucasian male who smiled in a foolish manner. Then a man of gruff appearance with a leer carrying a variety of weaponry. Next was a black man with white dreads wearing clean cut clothing reading a book. The last and final person was a beautiful woman with dark glossy black curls and a sensual smile. Obviously the Captain Malcolm was infatuated with this woman.

_For a year, we were fine. There was a time where the crew and even Simon could not trust me. They figured out that I was trained to kill and that there were times that I was unable to tell the difference between this reality and the one in my head. Mal figured out my ability to read. He had suspicions for a while but it was finally confirmed when they discussed about me. Man-ape thought I ate brains._

An image of a tree branch in a hand soon replaced by a gun unsettled Spock.

_They got use to it. Mal thought it was time to earn my keep and I joined him in robbing a bank. Simon wasn't happy. It was okay. The only bad parts were the Reavers and when I ate a bug. That was not fun._

Reavers. It was those humanoid beings that he saw before. He watched the memory of them eating at a living body before the image grew smaller. How did they exist?

_Simon wanted out. We were going to spilt up and we did. But the Alliance found another way to find me. They used a message to trigger my brain and I went out of control. Wash said that I beat up thirty guys and handed man-ape on his ass before Simon stopped me. Mal was angry but he took us back and ran. He had a hard time figuring out what to do with me. He didn't know if he should leave me or not._

However he did not, Spock thought. There was no memory other than the vigil of watching Captain Malcolm.

_While they figured out what to do, I finally figure out what was being driven into my mind. It was a secret and it was so large that the Alliance killed everyone that was connected to the Serenity. There was a planet called Miranda - it was terra formed a century before. People lived there but they were experimented on with a drug that was supposed to suppress hormones that caused aggression. It was an idea of keeping peace among the universe. It worked too well._

River conjured up the memory of the dead planet with the corpses lying down in the middle of what appeared to be working. It seemed that they just dropped dead from what they were doing.

_The drug caused most of them to not care about anything to the point that they quit breathing. The rest of the population was affected in a different way. The drug ended up increase their aggression to the point that they have only three functions. Rape, eat, and kill. They were called Reavers. Their most merciful would be killing then raping and then eating the flesh of their victims. We fought a long way to get the truth out into the air. We lost two good people, Wash and Book, for the fight._

Suddenly Spock felt himself being booted from the mind meld and began to take deep breaths to regain his bearings. River stood in front on him, pale and trembling.

"Fascinating." Spock finally said. River gave tiny smile at that. He took his time to think about everything he had learned. "You are from a different world - a different reality. One that is not possible with theories of the subject being discussed. Your time is two centuries ahead of our current stardate."

"Correct. One day I was running from a job gone south and the next I find myself in a park in sunny Cali on an Earth that should not have exist." River replied.

Spock paced for a moment before turning to face River.

"I believe from what I learned that your memory serves no purpose in being revealed to Starfleet. You have no real knowledge that could benefit this current world. However I believe that you are currently a danger with your previous training. In conclusion, you will need to undergo Vulcan meditation exercises. Your problem is emotional distress under crisis which forces you to go in auto-pilot in dealing with the situation. I believe there is 63% chance that you will have more control over your abilities and will become more effective in your service to Starfleet in the future."

River cocked her head to the side and let his answer sink in. She never had a chance to learn anything about controlling Reader abilities. Inara had inquired once with her connections, but any Readers with abilities were either dead or hiding from the Alliance. Spock seemed positive that his meditation exercises would help.

"Do you really believe that?"

"I am positive that you will improve and that man-ape is the most illogical creature to exist. If you had been eating brains, you would have ate his brain before the two of you reached a connection."

She smiled at his comment.

"Thank you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow that was long. Althought most of it was just revisiting Firefly and Serenity. Hoped you liked it very much.


	6. Learning to Live Normal

A week after the return back to Starfleet Academy, River found a summons to court for the following Monday in her office. Apparently, she and Spock were needed as witnesses for the incident of Alpha 12. She felt a little bit uneasy about this however she had no intentions of running away. Spock had begun to teach her Vulcan meditation and it was frustrating. However, Spock believed that she would be able to grasp the benefits soon.

They had shared more about River's life after the lessons and spent time together with creating the Kobuyashi Maru test for the command track, eating out, and shopping. Spock found the concept of shopping to be a waste of time since River did not purchase anything most of the time. She had scolded the half Vulcan that window shopping was a good activity for them to spend time together.

Due to their time spent together, rumors began to pop up. Many of the cadets believed that they were dating and it apparently disappointed the male population of the cadets who had been hoping to date her since she was the youngest female commander in Starfleet. The other professors/commanders had gossiped how their 'relationship' was going to cause trouble for Starfleet. They were envious of the young looking pair of commanders for their brilliance in the Alpha 12 incident and that Captain Pike had already called for them to be part of his crew when his ship was ready for her maiden voyage.

River got up from her seat and began to dance to music that her mind could hear. Getting the courses ready for next week where term was going to start was a pain. At least she did not have to worry about two different courses. Spock had too much on his plate, but her friend had insisted that he was able to handle the load even while River was helping him out with his pile of essays. She always replied with a roll of her eyes and a look that expressed to Spock that he was a boob.

"Computer, play Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake Tempo di valse."

The ancient classical music filtered into the air and River floated this way and that in her office. She had seen a performance of it on a holo once and she memorized as much as she could from watching. Now she was dancing to what she remembered with an original move here and there.

So involved with her love of dancing that she barely heard the ring of her door and she absently called the computer to open the door. When the thoughts of the person who entered was not Spock or Pike did she turn to face the person with her back straight and her left leg extended in the air.

It was a cadet who had entered. Already bored with the interruption, River went back to her dancing. She read his thoughts of incredulous before it switch to the admiration of her dancing. Preening in the admiration, River went on dancing until the piece ended. She waited for a minute before frowning.

The boob of a cadet had not applauded. He was still staring at her. Thoughts of her dancing and how beautiful she was and- wow, she had read plenty of dirty thoughts but this cadet was only thinking about kissing her and staring in her eyes. She giggled.

That snapped the cadet out of his daze.

"Commander Tam, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to stare or anything. But your door opened and-"

He was babbling. It was cute. And all he wanted was to ask if he could join in her class.

"Cadet, how can I help you?" she asked in amusement. Then she remembered about her peeve. "But applaud first. That's an order."

The cadet looked confused for a moment before he slowly began to clap. River took a moment to bask at the attention before she took a step forward and tilted her head to look up at the cadet. This caused the cadet to stop and his eyes began to glaze. She ignored the sweet romantic thoughts before she cleared her throat.

That snapped him back to attention.

"Commander Tam. I'm here about entering the first course of Interspecies Ethics and Protocol. I believe that I would need your permission to enter since it is past the deadline." he explained quickly, face turning red. She pursed her lips at that before a look of disapproval settled on her face.

"Why so late? First course is mandatory for every cadet. All of my classes are full." she pointed out and walked towards her discarded PADD. With the stylus, River quickly looked through the roster. It was true, her classes were full. Technically, she could fit this cadet into one of her classes, but Spock would scold at her for making exceptions.

"I understand, but there is a chance that someone would drop out at the last minute. I was planning to take Advance Combat next term since I tested out the first course, but I need to take your class before I can apply." the cadet explained.

River studied the cadet in front of her. He was taller than her but shorter than Spock. She suppose that he was good looking, Japanese from what she could read from his thoughts, although not as muscled as some of the men that she was familiar with. Even Simon had a broader chest than this cadet. She guessed that he would fill out once he graduated.

"What do you want to apply to, cadet?" she asked. She knew the answer, but it was always nice to hear it out loud, especially if the answer was an honest one.

"I wish to apply to the pilot program and to be recruited to the _Enterprise_ when I graduate."

"Why the _Enterprise_? It's not going to be finished for a few more years. Why not the other star ships?" River never found any appeal to the _Enterprise_. While it was nice to look at the holovids for the progress, there was nothing that she could feel from the star ship.

"They say that she's going to be the best and Captain Pike is her captain. He's a hero. Who wouldn't take a chance at that, commander?"

River kept her mouth shut at that. She knew that over half of the cadets were hoping to take a place at the _Enterprise_ when it was completed. Pike was famous because not only was he a good captain, he had the charisma that others lack. The younger generation all look up to the man. Still, as she looked at the cadet over again, it would be interesting to see how serious this one would be. Closing her eyes, she let her thoughts go and felt a peace before she opened her eyes.

"My course work is hard, cadet. Don't slack off just because it's the first course. I expect good work. You want to be in space, you need to understand that the people you meet aren't used to the Federation. Report to class next week on Tuesday at 0800." River replied as she quickly tapped at the PADD for the late entry.

Said cadet whooped in excitement before he flushed in embarrassment.

"I promise you, commander. You will not regret this!"

River gave him a look that stated he was a boob again.

"Good. I expect your first essay to be more than acceptable. Dismissed." she said airily and waved her hand towards the door. The cadet grabbed her hand and kissed it quickly. River blinked at the action. This was first time anyone kissed her hand.

"Right! I'll get going! See you at 0800, commander."

She had to giggle at his super fast retreat. His thoughts projected that she was going to kick his ass for his little stunt. Looking down at her hand, River smiled and went back to working on her course work.

"You better not make me regret it, Cadet Sulu." she murmured losing herself into her PADD.

* * *

 

The trial on Monday was not what she had expected – at least not for herself and Spock. While the idiot communications officer was tried and was demoted to sectary work for some old admiral, the council was more interested in what happened with the Klingons.

"According to the reports summit by the party, Commander Tam, you took down most of the Klingons that attacked yourself and the others. My question to you is why have you not mentioned your skills before?" one member, Torack she vaguely remember, asked with little emotion.  Inside, River could read that Torack was furious that there was no information about her skills being tested against other alien species.

"My skills have been mentioned before, sir. In fact your files have all of my physical tests and I have tested out in all combat exams before it was agreed upon my position here at Starfleet. I was unaware that testing was needed to be done in physical combat with hostile species to be part of Starfleet. I believe that such a test would be unethical." she replied with careful mockery.

"And it is." Admiral Komack replied before Torack said something to disgrace the entire council. The man bit back what reply he would have said and stayed silent. "Commander Tam, we are not here to pass judgment on your actions. Your skills on Alpha 12 have saved not only the party of officers that were assigned with you; you also managed to secure the new mine for the Federation from rogue Klingons. What the council is asking is why you have not applied for a more active position here in Starfleet."

River did not like where this was going. She could already tell that they wanted her to be in the front lines of defense for the Federation. A human taking on a melee of Klingons was better put in the mix of things.

"My talents, as you remember council members, are the reason why I have not applied for an active position. Many of our fleet members find me intimidating to deal with. I believe Captain Faulken himself stated that he did not want to have another mission with me a board unless Commander Spock is assigned as well. I am also better with the teaching position until the starship _Enterprise_ is complete where I will be a part of Captain Pike's crew. At least he is able to handle me."

The silence was deafening for a moment. Her barb at the council for their fear of her reading ability hung between them. Some looked ashamed while others looked furious for her mockery at the council. Only Komack showed nothing. His thoughts were deciding between commanding her to the frontline to letting her rot in Starfleet Academy. River was not too worried about Komack. The man was always fair.

"Your point is made. You may stay with your current position in Starfleet Academy. Stand down. Commander Spock, please rise."

River walked back to her seat in the crowd and managed to touch Spock's hand to send a message.

_They want you to take over the Communications program._

She could feel his body relax at her communication. No doubt he was worried about the more dangerous tangents that the council would ask about River's abilities.

"Commander Spock, we have looked at your work during the expedition of Alpha 12 and we are impressed with your work. There is no doubt that the communications department could use an overhaul similar to what you have done with your current courses. We would like you take charge in that department, I understand that you have an extensive vocabulary with multitudes of xenolinguistics." Komack stated.

"Indeed. I will do my best to ensure that future cadets interested in the path of xenolinguisitcs will have the skills and abilities needed for all starships." Spock answered coolly. River frowned at that. It would mean more work for her friend. As if he did not have enough on his plate. At least the Kobuyashi Maru test was completed.

Then she stifled a giggle. Those cadets were going to hang themselves when Spock gets his hands on that course material.

* * *

 

By the time Tuesday came, River was exhausted. Spock had gotten the material on the communications department and asked for help. River could feel that her eyes were going to come off from all the staring that she did on her PADD. The previous person was a full score gorram chai ma niao SOB who had been letting cadets make it with the bare minimum. At least the course work for her classes was completed before Spock came with his mess. While her friend did not express it, she could feel his frustration at the lax of the courses. She hated to think what the current communications officers are like in those star ships.

She was currently sitting on her desk with her feet up. At least she wore some shorts underneath her uniform so it did not matter if the cadets could see down her skirt. Her eyes were fixed on the ceiling since closing them would only make her fall asleep. Reaching for the cup of coffee that she got from the mess hall, she sipped it until she could feel the air buzz with the numerous thoughts of her lazed position. Sighing, River swung her feet to the ground and got up.

A mess of flowers greeted in front of her.

Blinking, she stared at them for a moment. The flowers were a lovely bunch of pinks, yellows, whites, oranges, and violets. They mixed in various sizes from those that were smaller than her pinky nail to the ones that were as large as her hands. The fragrance was also lovely. They did not have the over powering smell of exotic tropical flowers nor did they have the bitter smell of plant sap or pollen. They also looked like they were freshly picked.

Looking up from the flowers, she could see the smiling face of Cadet Sulu. She must have been really exhausted to not sense his thoughts which were currently on her.

"Cadet?" she asked and received her answer after that.

"They're for you, Commander Tam. As thanks for letting me in."

River pressed her lips to keep a laugh from escaping. Man-ape would really have a nasty comment on that sentence.

"No thanks is needed, cadet." She murmured and took the flowers from him. "Go and sit."

Turning away, she took a sniff and felt relaxed. Placing the flowers carefully on the desk, she took up the computer and turned on the screen at the front of the class. She could hear the thoughts of some of the cadets about the flowers and thinking about if Spock would beat the crap out of Cadet Sulu. Rolling her eyes, she turned her lecture on.

"Many of you cadets believe that Starfleet is about protecting the peace, having space adventures, and going into the final frontier. All of it is true, but understand this. You are not alone. You are not the superior species. You are part of the Federation and when you go into space or in any service of Starfleet, you need to know how to act and how to handle situations that normally you would never second guess on. This is why you are all required to take my class. Those who do not pass will be forced to take this class over and over until you do. I will not have any cadet here pass while thinking like a Tribble, understand?" she asked sharply.

Taking in the thoughts of disbelief and respect, she looked over at Sulu who stared right at her. She stretched her lips into an amused smile before pressing the command on her PADD for the next part of her lecture.

"Klingons - one of the few known antagonists against the Federation. While we continue to have conflicts with them and the Romulans, there are some who believe that the Klingons would be easier to convince to join the Federation than the Romulans who are cousins to the Vulcans. Can anyone tell me why?"

She could see her class shift in discomfort. For all they knew, Klingons never had a reason to join the Federation since they were considered to be barbaric. Well, turns out they are as hopeless as the previous classes.

"Honor."

Blinking, River looked up to see Cadet Sulu looking embarrassed from all the stares from his peers. Lifting an eyebrow, she nodded her head for Cadet Sulu to continue.

"The Klingons have a strong code of honor. If they ever decided to join the Federation, their strong sense of honor will have them bond strongly with us."

A smile spread upon her face. It looks like Cadet Sulu would not be disappointing her.

"There is the fact that their reason for antagonism is just due to miscommunication between the Klingon Empire and the Federation; unlike the Romulans who have a more religious problem with the Vulcans who are part of the Federation."

This comment came from a different cadet, a female who looked gorgeous like Inara. River could read that this African woman was Cadet Uhura and she was interested in the field of xenolinguistics. Looking at the cadet, River felt a wave of pride coming from her. She hid a smile by ducking her head into her PADD. Spock was going to have his hands full with this cadet.

"Thank you Cadet Sulu and Cadet Uhura. Those are very good points. I hope the rest of you can provide better views when we discuss about new planets and current politics. We'll begin with the Klingons. Take your notes."


	7. School Days

Cadet Sulu kept giving her flowers every time he came to her class. Some days they were simple Terrain flowers and other times they were alien species that she had never heard of before. All of them were beautiful and smelled delightful.

River found herself amused with Cadet Sulu's thoughts whenever he gave her flowers. He was always admiring her and often thought about her dancing. She had taken to dancing in the gym whenever possible and the cadet would catch her sometimes. He would usually just watch, never interrupting and would never come up to talk due to Spock usually being with her to spar afterward. There were a couple of pretty hot fantasies that made her giggle, but Cadet Sulu's attentions were just a form of a crush.

Spock was less amused with the attention and kept on warning her about protocol. River would just roll her eyes at him, knowing that he was partly worried about the council trying to find some way to send her to the front lines. She knew full well that Spock's real problem was the attraction he was denying toward Cadet Uhura.

River, having read the female cadet's mind during her class, wanted to see if interesting was going to happen in her friend's class and she was not disappointed.

* * *

 

The moment Spock had gotten the class settled, River slipped in and sat at the vacant chair behind the instructor desk. Spock never sits during his lectures leaving the chair free for River to sit in. Spock looked over and gave a small nod before launching into the lecture that was causing several cadets to curse mentally. However there was one mind that was more preoccupied with her presence than the lecture.

_So the rumors are true. Commander Tam and Spock are very good friends. I wonder who really prepared the lectures._

River slid her eyes over to Cadet Uhura who was staring at her in turn. Pursing her lips, River decided to have some fun for once. Spock totally owes her like Captain owing Kaylee for keeping _Serenity_ up with parts that should have been replaced months ago. Taking her PADD, she hacked into the computer link and began to change Spock's lecture notes on the screen from Standard to Vulcan.

Spock noticed the change but only sent a thought out to River to cease her idea of a prank. He, however, did not bother to change the settings back just yet. She supposed that he wanted to see if the cadets would do the logical thing in asking about the change. Hearing their thoughts, River knew that they were all freaking out but were afraid to ask any questions.

"Commander Spock."

Well, she was wrong. One cadet was going to say something. Spock looked up to the only cadet standing. River had to drop her head into her PADD to hide the grin on her face. Spock's thoughts were clinical and poetic at the same time on the subject of Cadet Uhura.

_Skin color similar to River's favorite drink of ice mocha. Long ebony hair that is illogical length for Starfleet however is a pleasing contrast to the standard uniform. Features that are pleasing to the opposite sex however will do little good if she does not complete the course._

River bit her lip to stop the laughter but her shoulders were shaking.

"Yes, Cadet Uhura?"

Cadet Uhura paused for a moment before going on. River could tell that she was surprised about Spock knowing her name. The Reader was not since it was she who mentally told Spock about the two cadets who had the highest potential to pass her class.

"The notes are in Vulcan. I believe that it is not logical for the first lesson in xenolinguistics in grammar and phonics to be in a language that most of the class has little experience in."

A snort escaped River and Spock gave her a slight frown (an extra millimeter twitch of an eyebrow) before turning his attention back to Cadet Uhura.

"You mention most of the class. That means you know or know someone who understands Vulcan perfectly well. Is that correct, cadet?" he asked drily.

"Yes sir. I am versed in one dialect of Vulcan and hoping to learn more." Cadet Uhura answered with a tone of pride. "Sanosh rubai kup-pitoh Eingelsu."

River ducked her head to cover herself with the desk so that the cadets would not see her shaking so hard that she would have fallen off the chair. It could not be helped. Spock thoughts were in shock and she knew that his eyes have widened at least five millimeters from Cadet Uhura's little display of Vulcan.

Not wanting to embarrass the cadet in front of her entire class, River controlled her shaking to get up and touch Spock's hand.

_S-sanoi. She meant sanoi._

Spock relaxed in her mind before ordering her back to her seat and allowed him to continue his lecture.

"Thank you, cadet. Please be seated." Spock ordered and with a few touches on his PADD, the notes changed back to standard.

It was River who had to tell Uhura her mistake since Spock felt that Uhura would not have embarrassed herself if River had not performed her prank. River had the pleasure to see Uhura flush darkly and asked if Commander Spock was insulted with her slip up. River assured her that Spock was not insulted and that he was impressed that someone in his class knows Vulcan at all.

After that little mishap, Spock soon found himself head to head against Cadet Uhura during his classes with her. River had to spend most of her free time refereeing their debates in order for the rest of the class to get anything out of the lectures. Afterwards, whenever Spock and River spent time together, Spock always end up repeating himself about Cadet Sulu's advances and how inappropriate they were on a whole. River would remind Spock that she could read Cadet Sulu's mind and that nothing was going to happen. Then she would tease Spock about Cadet Uhura and how he was getting his panties in a bunch over a cadet.

Spock would always reply the same way.

"River, I do not wear female undergarment. The design of female undergarments would cause them to bunch if any male species were to wear them."

Either way, River would grow tired of the argument and ended it by calling Spock a boob.

* * *

 

River found herself alone one weekend bored and slightly upset. Spock had a meeting with the other professors in the language department and there was no way that River was going to stay four hours listening about the course materials and exams. Since it was the weekend, a good portion of the cadets were either visiting home or out drinking.

She did not like the idea of staying in her quarters and decided to go out. Changing into civvies consisting of a white tank top and jeans, she put her hair down and began to leave the campus. There were plenty of things she could do, however she had no idea what they were. Unlike the majority of the cadets, she was unable to go out drinking just yet. Pike had made sure of that when she received her ID.

Maybe she should go to the movies. That was something she had barely had time to do. However it was no fun without Spock to commentate mentally about the unrealistic storyline and the effects that were put into it - like that really old movie of the action hero blowing stuff up and surviving battles with the skin of his teeth. She was about to commit herself to go to Chinatown to eat when a sound caught her attention.

Looking around, she noticed a cadet carrying a pile of books and had bumped into the side of a building. Tilting her head, she stared at the figure as he tried to balance the pile of books in his arms while backing out of the way. A foreign curse that she vaguely remembered as Russian floated in the air as the cadet attempted to walk straight. River could read his mind which consisted of Russian curses and slight self-contempt. She could read that the cadet was home sick and was complaining about how the other cadets were looking down on him for his young age.

"Good evening, cadet." River called out in Russian. This surprised the cadet so much that he dropped his books and she could see just how young the cadet was. He looked younger than her and looked so adorable! She could imagine how Inara and Kaylee would coo at this sweetie

The cadet was looking at her in confusion. He was thinking that civilians should not be roaming around in Starfleet campus at this time and how nice it was to hear someone talk in his native language. River took that time to gather up the books from the ground and passed them on to him. She took half of his burden and cocked her head.

"Where are you going at this time with such old material? Do the PADDs not cover enough for you?" River inquired still in Russian. This startled the cadet into action who thanked her and tried his best to insist that he did not need assistance. She ignored this and proceeded to lead him to his destination via her reading skills.

"These are some old philosophy and physic books from my homeland that I found in the library. I wanted to read them since there is nothing else for me to do." the cadet replied bitterly. River could feel his thoughts on his school life so far. She had to admit it sucked for him. Being with cadets who were easily five years older than him and no other peer to help him around the social circle was a lonely life. At least she had Spock and her status to amuse her.

"Well cadet, since you and I have no plans, let's go out." River said as she entered the cadet's pass code. This shock the poor boy so much that he still did not realize that this person who he thought was a civilian had led him to his own dorm and opened the door. She proceeded to release both their burdens and ordered the cadet to change into something more civilized than a red uniform. He did as ordered and soon became coherent enough to study her in curiosity.

"Miss, how do you know Russian and my pass code?" he asked with his wide eyes. River simply pat his head and took his hand.

"I'm special. Now, let's go and have a fun night out. Maybe Spock will join us later when he's finished with those boring boobs." she said and dragged him to a bus.

* * *

 

Spock did join them later at the hot pot shop after she and the cadet, Pavel Chekov, went around playing arcade games, window shopping, and watching an old twentieth century movie. Chekov was slightly wary of the small restaurant but soon admit that the food was good even if it was not Russian. Her half Vulcan friend initially frowned at her company before Chekov managed to prove himself as an intelligent being with extra-ordinary hopes of being a navigator to a star ship. Apparently the baby-face Russian loved numbers.

The three spent the rest of the night eating and discussing theories in astrophysics, navigational systems, and number theory. They were so into their conversation that they were kicked out of the shop when closing time came and River led them to a 24-hour diner near campus in order to continue. Spock was not as comfortable about the diner until he was assured by the waitress that they had dishes for the more alien species who visited. They end up staying until two in the morning despite Spock's initial comment on how illogical it was for them to ruin their body systems on late night meals and conversation. River retort that they had been doing that ever since he took up the communications department and that got all three of them to discuss about communications systems and the timing.

River and Spock escorted Cadet Chekov back to his quarters since it was pass curfew and they all promise to meet up at breakfast so they could continue their discussion on Russian history and space.

"Thank you. This is the first time that I do not feel homesick. May I have your name?" Chekov asked shyly. River blinked and Spock raised an eyebrow at her. She had gotten used to her reading abilities that she forgot that Chekov did not know her name. She smiled softly and mentally chuckled to herself at her forgetfulness.

"Commander River Tam. We'll see you tomorrow at 0900." River answered while Chekov's eyes widen to the point that they looked like they would bug out.

"Commander? I am sorry that I took so much of your time! You must have had plans before..." Chekov rambled nervously. Spock stopped him before the cadet could worry himself into a coma.

"Commander Tam was not inconvenience by your company, cadet. She does not have many peers due to her status among the rest of her age group. There is no doubt that she found your acquaintance to be most acceptable as do I."

That shocked poor Chekov more than her revealed status. River pushed Chekov towards his dorm.

"Go to sleep, cadet. Since it's the weekend tomorrow, we'll go and see the simulations after breakfast."

Chekov brightened at that and rushed into his dorm with good-nights. The two commanders watched him enter the dorm before turning towards the officer quarters. River grabbed Spock's hand and began to swing it back and forth. Spock allowed this since he could read that she was remembering her time with Simon as children. The memory of just her and Simon was accompanied by the feeling that she had been lonely without other friends other than her brother. He could understand this from his own childhood with no companions among the other Vulcan children. River's thumb began to move in a comforting circular motion and he relaxed.

_We're all alike. You, me, and Chekov. You know, he was being made fun back in Russia for being so smart and not physically strong. He misses his mother like you do._

Spock nodded and sent some of his memories of his mother to River. He knew that his mother would appreciate River very much if they should meet. He received some memories of River's mother, but they were faint. Despite the Vulcan meditation lessons, River's memory remained fragile but her mind's resistance had grown steadily.

They were passing the female dorms when River stopped. Spock felt a flash of surprise, confusion, and then jealously. He was no stranger to jealously due to his own childhood of wishing for a place in the Vulcan society; however these emotions seemed to be coming from River. Although when he looked at her face for some clue, his friend only looked amused before taking her hand away from him. When she faced him, she gave smile and stuck her tongue at him.

"You are such a boob, Spock."

Spock gave her his best you-are-being-illogical-and-it-is-not-becoming-of-you and proceed to walk on to the officer quarters. River laughed at his thoughts before turning back to the female dorms. She could see a curtain move as if someone was hiding and snickered.

She had no idea just who she should feel sorry more, the boob who was still denying his attraction or the girl who just realized that she liked her instructor more than she should!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sanosh rubai kup-pitoh Eingelsu - Pleasure change the notes to English
> 
> Sanoi - Please
> 
> Yeah, I had Uhura mess that up since they were pretty close together and it was funny.


	8. Vacation

Taking in a deep breath, River could smell the scent of hot earth and warm dry wind that surrounded her. Looking around, she could see brownish red lands of cliffs, mountains, and ridges with sparse bits of grass life. The world was so still  that she could not tell if she was truly among an alien race as she was now. She felt stifled by the heavy clothing that was given to her, but it helped protect her from getting her skin chapped by the strong sun and wind.

Vulcan looked like an outer rim planet back in her days in _Serenity_ ; however the temperature was almost unbearable. River felt like cursing Spock for mentioning the difference in temperature as manageable. She wanted to wear fun loose clothing and a swimsuit, however that would be considered an insult to her hosts and River still had a slight wariness for pissing people off - unlike the Captain.

The term had finished with Cadet Sulu finally getting the guts to talk to her outside of class. The Japanese male had asked to spar with her and then offer to take her out to see _Swan Lake_. She agreed, but invited Cadet Chekov and Spock along for the ride; the former happily chatting away that _Swan Lake_ was practically born from Russia and the later appreciated the music but not the crowd. Cadet Sulu's thoughts were not disappointed in the lack of a date atmosphere; in fact, he made good friends with Chekov over the difference of having a fencing scene inserted in one of the acts.

Chekov maybe a genius, however he was still a teenage boy at heart.

Spock did not grow warm towards Cadet Sulu, however withheld his lectures until both cadets were out of hearing range. Her friend did admit that Cadet Sulu's advances were practically minuscule compared to his previous observations.

The situation between Cadet Uhura and Spock barely changed. In fact, it appeared that Uhura was trying to place herself at the top of River's and Spock's classes. The cadet did get the top spots and River had to stop herself from laughing at the conflicting thoughts in from Uhura's head. Poor girl was trying to fight against her jealousy of the relationship between River and Spock.

Of course, it did not help that River was making everything worse by being touchy feely with her friend. Spock only commented once that her affections were increasing but did nothing to discourage the contact. He found the mental link between them to be useful especially when it come down to the more illogical students hovering around them.

"I better be nicer to Cadet Uhura next time." River mused to herself. Personally, she thought that Uhura would be good for Spock. The cadet was understanding, intelligent, and compassionate like Inara and there was a bit of bad-ass attitude that reminded her of Zoe. Uhura would know when to push and when to pull back with Spock and from her thoughts, she saw Spock as a person, not a hybrid.

"And who is Cadet Uhura?" a pleasant female voice inquired behind her.

River lazily turned to face a human female dressed in Vulcan clothing consisting of browns and olive greens. This was Amanda Grayson, Spock's mother. There was no doubt that this older woman was a beauty in her younger years even with the streks of gray which stood out with the original dark brown.  River could easily imagine Amanda being the sort who laughed and smiled in any situations which was proven by the laugh lines at the corners of her eyes and mouth.  All in all, there was something so warm about this woman that River could not help but lean towards her.

Amanda's thoughts were so vibrant with love and compassion of her son and her husband. River enjoyed the feeling very much as it reminded just a little of her own mother. However, River had no doubt that Amanda would have done everything to ensure that Spock would be safe from crazy government agents. There was a sense of justice in her that was similar to Simon's, something that Spock lacked a bit. She could see how Sarek fell in love with her despite the alien differences.

"She's this woman who I keep teasing. She's very beautiful and extremely intelligent. She's planning for the communications track in Starfleet." River replied and offered her hands to Amanda. The older woman smiled and clasped their hands together.

"And why do you tease her so much?" Amanda asked as she swung their clasped hands as she looked out into the world.

"Because, she's in love with Spock and he doesn't realize it yet." River whispered in glee. Her companion laughed at that and the two began to twirl around in a dizzying circle.

Spock had suggested that River joined him to Vulcan during the break since everyone else that they knew were going home. Chekov was excited about going home to Russia and promised that he would comm as much as possible. Sulu was going to Japan to visit some relatives and Uhura was planning on visiting home herself before going to join up with a group in helping with recruitment for Starfleet.

River, not wanting to be stuck with boring people, said yes.

The travel to Vulcan did not take too long with a warp drive and the two were greeted by Spock's parents and other Vulcans who did not show their shock of the human friend that had appeared. River had to control herself from grabbing Spock's hand for security because she did not want to cause humiliation for her friend.

Once settled, Spock had explained about River's abilities and she was allowed to be herself around Spock. However she was careful not to show her touching in front of the guests who appeared during the mealtimes and who came to visit. Whenever they converse with her, she could feel them testing her intelligence and their slight disappointment that she did not stumble and proved that the human race was inferior.

For Amanda, it was love at first sight to see the willowy young woman beside her son. Her first impression was that Spock had found love. However, once Spock introduced River as a friend and only as a friend, she had made the girl a part of the family. River was like the daughter she always wanted. The girl teased Spock and they debated and argue like siblings. She even had Sarek regard her with some fondness; however it was only shown by the small nod of his head whenever he saw the girl.

"Mother, River. I suggest that you cease your frolicking before you make yourselves ill."

The two females stopped their playing to see Spock approaching towards them. River pouted while Amanda smiled and they joined Spock.

"What's going on this time? Dinner isn't until another couple hours." River inquired, skipping ahead towards the home of Sarek.

"I have received orders from Starfleet about a mission before the start of the next term and it is believed that I must leave in two days time." Spock explained. Amanda looked up in worry at this while River frowned.

"They're working you too hard. You're already covering for two different departments and now they want you to check communication comms and systems for a Star base? You're not their janitor." River grumbled.

"The Star base is located in the middle of the Beta quadrant and it is relatively safe in Federation space. There is no need for worry about being overworked, River. I've been reassigned to concentrate on the communications department. We have new personnel to cover the rest of my former duties." Spock replied with neutrality in the air.

"I do wish you could stay a few days more." Amanda mused sadly. Spock's eyes soften and he clasped his mother's free hand.

"I apologize, Mother. However I have duties to Starfleet that cannot be ignored, no matter what River believes."

River stuck her tongue at that.

"Fine, I won't complain any more. I guess that means I need to start packing and do some shopping."

"There is no need for you to leave as well. I am sure that you are still welcome to stay for the rest of the break if you wish it." Spock said with a small amount of concern. River shook her head at that.

"I better leave. The people here are polite enough, but I like to see something other than rock. Besides, it's a good excuse to go on a road trip by myself since you find the idea to be irrational." River teased. Amanda smiled at that.

"I do wish you could stay, but you are only young once in your life. I remembering going on trips when I was younger. Where would you go?" Spock's mother asked gently. River pondered on that before an answer came to her.

"South. I'll head down south. I grew up with family who had a Southern accent and I miss that. Plus, I heard the food is good."

"Oh! I know what you mean! If you're going to travel in the United States, go down to Mississippi or Georgia! They have a wonderful selection of food there. I remember eating a pecan pie that made me melt." Amanda said with a dreamy smile.

"Mother I highly doubt a pastry consisting of high fructose syrup and animal lipids would make you melt from consumption." Spock admonished drily.

"Boob." River hissed before she gave a nod to Amanda. "I'll go check into that."

"Well, before you all leave me here with only my loving husband; let us go on a picnic. There is this wonderful spot with enough shade for us to enjoy some cloud watching." Amanda stated as they arrived home.

***

"It's funny that the sky seems so much alike here despite the color." River mused out loud from her spot in the convertible. Two days have passed since she left Vulcan and rented a nice red convertible. The top was down and she had pulled up to the side of the road to enjoy some take-out for lunch. She had received a comm an hour ago from Spock about the progress being done about the Star base. Apparently everything was going according to schedule and he would so be back in time for the next term.

Chekov was still in Russia and was jealous that she was driving around the country. She promised that next term he would go with her to anywhere he wanted. He spent the next hour chatting just where he wanted to go. Sulu gave her holopics of Japan and promised to give her a bonsai of miniature maple forest trees when he came back. He was delighted with the holovids of Klingon weaponry that she gave him from the museums in Vulcan. Uhura had commed a few times but she was getting ready to join Pike in the recruiting program and had to keep it short.

Pike commed once and had asked her to join him in Iowa to see the construction of the _Enterprise_ once her trip was finished. River promised that she would join up with him on the day of departure to San Francisco.

She turned the radio on and a loud country like song filled the air. River could remember the times in the mule when she went with Captain, man-ape, and Zoe to a job. They were always quiet except of the hum of the engine and there was no music to play - mostly due to the lack of radio waves whenever they used the vehicle.

Briefly, River wondered just what she was doing in this world. There was nothing but a normal life for her here. Back in her own world, she was the pilot and she had family who needed her. True, the food was boring and plain and man-ape was a pain in the ass, but it was home. A ship that was always in the black with money thin but still plentiful for their needs was a life that she had treasured a long time ago.

"I'm being selfish. I want my family here." She muttered and put her food away. Slipping back into the driver seat, she turned the car on and raced down the empty road. It would take her another day to reach Mississippi and the delicious food that Amanda had promised that would be there.

Besides, she could feel something pulling towards that direction.

***

The south east of the United States was nothing that River expected. It was color, life, and noise that differ from the noise of the places that Captain had taken her to before. Everywhere she went, people were greeting her and celebrating something.

In Mississippi, she came across a parade and enjoyed the candy that was thrown out even though she knew her brother would have been horrified at the idea of her eating candy from the ground. Then there were the restaurants and the cafés full of spicy dishes that made her mouth water.

At night, River spent time in the streets looking at the market and dancing to the music played by musicians of all sorts. She even received a few coins for her dancing. The city was gorgeous at night and she found a bluff high enough for her to enjoy the view until she went back to the motel.

She tried the pecan pie and agreed with Amanda that it was good enough to make a person melt despite what Spock says about high fructose and animal lipids.

It was another three days of good food, dancing, and sightseeing that she came across something interesting.

River was done with her night shopping and was passing a bar when someone stumbled against her.

The person was a tall male figure who smelled like he bathed in alcohol. It reminded her of man-ape. Steadying the man, she looked up to a face unshaven for a few days and bloodshot eyes. There was a powerful feeling of anger, guilt, and self-worthlessness that made her read his mind.

_No good. No where to go. Nothing left here._

Touching his face, she could read what happened to this man. He was a good man and worked hard for his family, but nothing came from it. Now he had no family and no self-respect for himself. There was nothing for this man to do other than to sink as low as he could go.

A retch and the smell of vomit filled the air. River wince as she could feel something slimy hit her sandaled feet. This man had just thrown up on her feet.

"You okay there, miss?" a voice called out.

River turned to see an elderly woman walked up to her with a cane to help. She was a black elderly woman who began to shake her head at the man in River's arms.

"No good. Poor man has been suffering and only God can show him the way to the light."

"You know him, ma'am?" River asked politely.

"Call me Mabel. He's a good one, that man. Come with me. My home is only a couple blocks down the road and a good walk will help. Come child." Mabel said and she walked ahead. River stared at her curiously and then began to drag her burden.

At least she wouldn't have to pay an extra room for this man.

***

Mabel's house was an old two story white house that looked like it was five hundred years old or at least it looked like it. There was a little garden in the front that looked simple and well kept. A white picket fence completed the homely look to the property and River found herself liking the place. It was nothing like she had ever seen in her life.

They enter the house from the kitchen side and Mabel led River into the living room where the man was dumped onto a sofa on his side with a blanket covering him. River stayed by to make sure that he did not choke during his rest and Mabel went back into the kitchen to make something to drink or eat.

The elderly woman came back with tray of food and cups. River quickly went into the kitchen to get the tea kettle that was about whistle and returned with it to the living room. Mabel gave a nod of thanks as she set everything up.

"Knew that boy from the moment he was born. Good boy that he was. Smart one too. Only stupid when it came to love." Mabel began as she offered a cup of steaming tea to River.

"Isn't everyone stupid when it comes to love?" River asked with a smile and accepted the offer. Mabel cracked a smile at that.

"Love makes fools of us all. He's a McCoy. That family has been passionate about everything they can get their minds to. That one is a doctor and the best that I've heard. Spent half of his life in a hospital saving the lives of everyone."

River looked back at the drunken man and pursed her lips. While she knew that this man was a doctor, it was difficult to grasp someone who reminded her of man-ape as a doctor. Although she did give him credit that he did not look stupid while sleeping like Jayne did.

"So what made a good doctor fall?" she asked and nibbled on a cookie. Mabel sighed and sipped more tea.

"Got married with no pre-nup, that's what made him fall. Worked hard for his family and got a wife not happy with her life. Got a divorce and she ends up with everything but the cloths on his back. They got a nice baby girl between them and he's been a good father. Too bad the wife got the girl too." Mabel replied with a sad sigh.

Touching a lock of hair, River contemplated on this odd man. He was a family man with no family. A man who lost everything and has no way to start again.

"I knew a man of the cloth once." River murmured without taking her eyes off of the man. "He saw many bad things and turned to God the minute he could. There were times that he had trouble, but he kept on believing and showed others to believe."

"That, child, is faith. God works in many different ways that we can never understand completely. Sometimes it's not God we need to believe in, it's the people we are in the inside. God believes in us all, we just need to believe in ourselves." Mabel said wisely. The young woman looked at the elderly one with respect.

"You know. I never understood the concept of religion. I was fourteen when I tried to correct that man's Bible. I believed at that time that it was flawed."

Mabel gave out a loud laugh at that.

"Child, nothing is wrong with the Bible. It's how it's read makes it flawed or not. Now, what's a young thing like you helping out a drunken man and old woman here?"

River then began to explain how she was a commander in Starfleet and she wanted to see the sights before the next term start. Mabel drew into the conversation quickly about the places that River visited and discussed how different everything was back in the days when she was a child. They discussed about the food and how food replicators were ruining everything. River admitted to eating anything as long as it didn't taste like mush and Mabel scold her for not having some standards.

"Not having standards on what you eat is the same as having no standards in men. They go side by side, child. Being picky is good because once you pick your piece, you stick with it. No second guessing nonsense that you young people are good at these days."

They talked more and River made sure that the man was kept comfortable enough. Mabel soon grew weary and had to sleep and invited River to go up stairs and take a bed once she needs to sleep. River assured her that she would do so as soon she felt tired.

For a long time, River stared at the man, McCoy, and wondered what would happen to him. She traced his brow, smoothing the wrinkles and read some of the memories that gathered into his mind. This man was a genius in the medical field like Simon was. So smart and so humane. From his memories she could feel a very strong sense of justice that was similar to the Captain's and it nearly blew her away. He was the type of man who stuck to his promises and would be the first to admit his mistakes, defiantly not like the Captain.

Then an idea came into her mind. It was something so harebrain that she knew that it was a good idea. After all, Captain Malcolm's best ideas were the craziest.

***

Leonard H McCoy groaned from the pain in his head and light was the piercing into his eyes. He could hear an odd hum and loud country music. He also felt that he was currently sitting and not lying down. That was a good thing. At least he knew he had not died from aspiration over night.

However, he soon began to feel more awake as he noticed the wind blowing against his face and the humming was turning to a roar of an engine. He could smell gasoline and a light flowery scent in the air.

"You're not dreaming and you're in a car." A young female voice stated. That woke him up real fast. Did he get so drunk that he hired a prostitute to drive him around? "I'm not a prostitute. I'm a kidnapper."

"Holy shit!" McCoy roared and opened his eyes to look around for the first time.

He was currently sitting in the passenger side of a red convertible that was going in speeds that he was sure was illegal. From the look of the scenery, it seems that they were going north and towards the Midwest part of the United States. The driver was a pretty young thing that was a least ten years his junior. Was she old enough to drive this thing?

"Yes, I'm old enough. You need to eat something. Miss Mabel gave us a basket of food when we left. She's wishing you luck at your new job." The girl said as she reached out behind her seat and pulled out a good old fashion wicker basket. "Of course you're going to need to take a couple of classes, but you're smart and you'll pass them."

"Wait one minute, young lady. First off, who the hell are you and why did you kidnap me?" McCoy demanded. The girl gave him a looked that stated he was moron and grabbed something from the basket. It was a cinnamon bun with thick white icing. She shoved it in his mouth and licked the excess icing from her fingers.

"I'm your friend and you're going to Starfleet."

McCoy, finding the bun delicious, took a bite and pulled the rest out of his mouth. He took his time in chewing before he began to talk again.

"Hell no! I'm a doctor not an astronaut, dammit!"

"Starfleet needs doctors in space. Plus its medical field is one the largest in the universe. There are plenty of medical discoveries out there in the making. You can be one of them. You are one of the best and Starfleet won't say no to you."

"I'm too old! You young things can go out there in the darkness and death of space, but I belong here on Earth!" he snapped back.

The girl stopped the car and then tuned to face him. She stared at him with her big brown eyes and it felt like she was seeing everything about him. About his life and his failures that he often tried to forget about in his lapses of alcohol.

"You don't have anywhere else to go. You have no property, no family, and a reputation as a drunk. What you do have is your legs, mind, and a chance to make a new life. Earth doesn't need you here. Starfleet needs you. You can help out more there then being drunk here."

For a long time McCoy looked down at his hands. What the girl said was true, although he wonder just how she knew about his life, he had nothing here. He did not even have his baby girl to call his own legally. His town turned their back against him when the divorce came through and he did nothing to stop it. By rights he could not even call himself a man. The girl's eyes soften and she reached out and cupped his stubble cheek.

"Make something for yourself and you'll get her back someday. She's waiting for you."

With that said the girl turned the engine on and raced away down the road. McCoy finished his bun and looked through the basket to find sausage rolls, scones, more buns, turnovers, and a thermo of strong coffee. He ate about half of that before his stomach began to stretch and he sipped his coffee slowly. Now that he was awake, he found the speed to be comforting and the music a lullaby.

"Space is still a vast thing of death, darkness, diseases and madness." He grumbled as his eyes began to close shut. The girl laughed at that.

"But it's still home when you have family." 


	9. Meetings and Greetings

McCoy grumbled when the girl (still did not know her name) stopped at a shopping center. Her response to his grumbling was that he threw up on her shoes. That shut him up for a minute. At least she had not demand that he pay for a new pair. Settling in his seat, he closed his eyes and was settling in for a two hour nap when he felt someone pull him up.

Looking up, McCoy found the girl had a good grip on his arm and was giving him a look that said he was going to go too.

"Hell no. I'm a doctor, not a mule. You go and do your shopping. I'm staying right here."

The girl pursed her lips before, in a flurry of movement, McCoy found himself outside of the car and on his ass.

"Come on. You need to stretch your legs out." She said calmly and then hauled him to his feet. The girl was pretty strong for a little thing. He obeyed. There was no point if this girl was going to kick his ass around for not doing what she wanted.

She led him straight into the heart of the place without pausing to look at a map or even to ask anyone for a location to buy shoes. The girl must have done this a dozen times or so.

"Been here a lot then?" he asked drily as he noticed the looks that some of the people were giving him. He knows that he was not the best looking man around, but he was pretty sure that they were staring at his poor appearance. Screw them, it's not like they had to live on the clothes of their backs.

"First time. I shop at the coast." Came the answer and she grabbed his wrist and pulled him into a tiny shop that he vaguely remembered from his ex-wife was some top of the line expensive brand. He could see the personnel giving them dirty looks. While the girl did not look like a washed up drunk, she was a far cry from some of the shoppers with their expensive clothes and designer purses.

She ignored them all and went straight to one pair of sandals. Taking the display, she studied it for a minute for before going to another pair. The process was repeated a couple more times before she finally took a box underneath one display of black leather sandals with a two inch heel and marched up to the counter. Flashing a credit chip, she gave the cashier a bored look. The chip went through the machine and she took it back and pulled the sandals out of the box.

"Let's go." She said as she grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the store. Looking back, he could see the cashier looking bewildered with an empty box on the counter. McCoy couldn't blame them. That was the quickest shopping trip in the history of womanhood. "Not finished. We need stuff for you."

"Now wait a damn minute! I'm not your dam-oww!" he yelped when he felt pain coming from his pinky. The little chit was giving him the 'you're stupid' look.

"You don't have anything. You can't survive on with clothes smelling like booze. You need some new clothes, some toiletries unless you want to share with your roommate, maybe even some toys. Boys like toys or something like that. Wash had dinosaurs. We need to get some." She muttered and dragged McCoy to another direction.

They spend the next three hours shopping for him. The little mite forced him to try on piles of clothes at a time before she was satisfied with a few shirts and pants. Then they went to look at shoes and bought him three pairs. She wanted to get him five, but he managed to stop her from doing that. Soon they stopped at a shop that sold men toiletries and she got him the necessities of hair care, shaver, and others. While star ships have sonic showers, the academy still has the water ones.

The last two shops were a toy store and one shop that sold luggage. She had bought one medium size suitcase and a small set of dinosaur toys. They were the cheap kind that were made out of plastic and were in a set of vibrant colors and patterns. Unlike the ones with the holovids and the robotic ones, she explained that the good old fashion toys were more fun.

"I can do more with them without stupid bits of machinery to mess it up." Was her explanation to his silent question. McCoy kept wondering just how this girl was able to figure out what he was thinking, but he chalked it up to the look on his face. The cashier at the toy counter had the exact same face that he had- McCoy was sure of it.

Lunch was spent at the food court where the girl had ordered a selection of hamburgers, fries, and sodas. McCoy could now confirm that the girl stayed skinny by metabolism alone since her portions of the meal were just as large as his own. Taking a bite of his hamburger, his tongue danced to the juicy combination of beef, ketchup, mustard, mayo, onion, tomato, lettuce, and pickles. The fries were made just right, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. A large slurp of his soda proved that it was made from a mix of syrup and carbonated water.

"At least you managed to find someplace with decent food." He grumbled as he finished his burger. She gave a nod at that.

"I need to have standards on food. Miss Mabel says so."

"Miss Mabel? How'd you know her?" he asked curiously with a smirk.

"She witnessed you throwing up on my feet."

McCoy winced at that.

"Not one of my finest moments. How long until we reach Starfleet anyways? It's a long stretch of land between here and the coast."

"Only another day of driving for you. There's going to a recruitment crew with one of the personnel there that I know. He'll take you there. I still have a road trip to finish." was the answer.

"Road trip? Normally those things going along with friends miss."

"My friends are busy. Two of them are out of country, the other is part of the recruitment group so you'll see her, and my best friend is stuck in a star base on the Beta quadrant. I don't want to spend time with boring people. Plus, you're funny." The girl replied with a smile.

He blinked at the answer. Was that a good thing or a bad thing that young girls think that a twenty-eight year old was amusing fun.

"You remind me of this man ape, the man they called Jayne." She said with a giggle. McCoy's lips curled in a snarl. "He was crude, arrogant, ignorant, and loved guns and women in two ways. Loose and fast."

"Listen here missy! You've only met me just last night. What gives you the right to-"

"I said you remind me of him. The two of you have the same build, height, and coloring. Your accent is slightly different then his but similar. But I know you're not the same and that's what makes it funny. Any good he does is purely accidental. You'll always be the hero." The girl said with a soft smile.

For a moment, he felt his breath taken away from the sight. She was a pretty thing and if he were younger, he would try his hand at flirting. But he was older and supposedly wiser. No decent young thing would want a broken man for a first love or any love. Picking up his trash and dumping it on the tray, he put his mind to other things.

"You finished? We need to get a move on if you want me to do this Starfleet gig." He muttered. The girl's smile widens and she quickly placed her trash onto the tray.

"Thank you kindly sir." She said with a perfect Southern drawl. He gave a grin that felt almost foreign on his face.

"You're mighty welcome, ma'am."

***

The rest of the trip was silent except for the music. They made stops at small roadside diners and gas stations. River had provided McCoy a PADD to keep him occupied while she spent her free time to comm her friends. Spock had already returned from his job at the star base and had been trying to convince River that if would be beneficial if she just came back with Pike.

She only promised him that she would think about it. To be honest, she wanted to see if McCoy would be okay once he reached San Francisco. The poor man needed a friend to help him out if only to prevent him from becoming a hermit. Plus, it would be good idea to catch up with Pike.

Her talk with Sulu consists of his family and the classes that he was planning on taking for the next term. He was going to be back to the academy in a couple of days and he was hoping that she, Spock, and Chekov would hang out one last time before classes start.

Chekov had chatted happily with her on a possible dissertation on some topic or another and wanted her input on some of sources that he found. He expressed great joy on the possibility of celebrating their return before the term started.

Her comm with Uhura was short and to the point. It was hard to make friends with someone who had a grudge against you.

"So, are you a cadet at the academy and needed credit to recruit a doctor?" McCoy asked during one of their stops for food.

"Nope." River answered before she dug into her macaroni and cheese. Licking the excess cheese, she chewed quickly before she went on. "I'm on vacation. I recruited you out of luck."

McCoy snorted at that before he took a chuck of his steak and devoured it. For some reason, the places she picked end up being ones with decent food. His steak was grilled just right with mushroom gravy and caramelized onions.

"You got connections there or something?"

River nodded her answer and took a big gulp of lemon iced tea.

"Best friend is a commander and I know some of the recruiters. He always says that we need more doctors instead of star struck cadets interested in the glory of Starfleet. While you were sleeping it off, I read a few of your papers on the ethics of graphing xeno cells with human tissues. Your work had an amazing amount of research on several alien races and their biology for a small country doctor. You also have a strict ethics code that Starfleet finds rare in a science broad education. You think every patient as a person, not a species. Starfleet needs that."

The man felt his cheeks flush at the compliment. He had been always congratulated as a genius in the medical field on breakthrough work and research. People commented on his dedication and his workaholic attitude, but no one had ever mentioned his ethics and manners.

They kept silent after that and River paid for the meal like she did with everything else. She hoped that McCoy would not get all noble about paying her back. Sometimes it good karma to help someone out no matter the cost.

***

It was nearly seven in the evening when they reached the small town in Iowa that was three miles away from the site where the Enterprise was being built. McCoy only mentioned that it would years before anyone would get him to set foot on a star ship. That was when River told him that they would take a shuttle for the rest of the trip.

Seeing the man freak out was just as fun as freaking out man-ape.

After setting up a room in a small motel for him, they parted ways with River threatening to wake him up with he did not show up in the morning. McCoy went straight to the nearest store that sold liquor and River went around searching for Pike.

She found him at the site of the star ship looking over the mass of construction with pride in his eyes.

"It's too big." River said and slid up beside him. Pike gave a grin at her.

"She's going to be going on a five year trip, commander. She needs the bulk. How was your road trip?"

"Fun. Ate a lot of good food and danced. Picked up a good doctor too. Bet you didn't find anyone better." River replied with a smirk. Pike's eyebrow went up in surprise.

"A doctor? You didn't kidnap them did you?"

"Just away from his plan to drink his life away. He's qualified to start working for Starfleet now with just a few courses or so. He might even get interested in studying some other courses that would expand his knowledge." River answered smugly. Pike whistled at that.

"So you managed to pick a professional down on his luck? Lucky. I got kids who want in for the uniform and a chance to go up in space. Hopefully we'll make something out of them. Have you had dinner?" he asked.

"Not hungry. We just ate before we reached here. There's this nice little place that made this delicious apple pie topped with a sprinkle of fresh cheese about twenty or so miles from here. They also had a good recipe of macaroni and cheese."

"You know, your ability is being wasted on your frivolous quest for good food." Pike muttered as his stomach growled from hunger.

After catching up on each other's lives for the next half hour, River went back to town while Pike ordered someone to get some take out for the rest of the crew. She checked on McCoy to see that he was drinking himself under but the reason was a decent one. He was drinking to forget about tomorrow's flight with a shuttle and she could accept that. She comm Spock and told him that she was going to join everyone else back the academy.

"Because you're my best friend and you're bored without me." She declared. Spock raised an eyebrow at her declaration.

"I am not bored, River. I am merely concern for your well being in arriving in a timely manner. It would do no one any good if you arrived late and are unable to do your duties as an educator."

"Boob. Cadet Uhura is nearby. Is there anything you want me to say for you?" River taunted. Spock gave near silent snort and his eyes narrowed just two millimeters.

"I will see the two of you tomorrow. There is no need to pass any form of communication when we are to meet so soon."

"Shy boob. The regulations may say no on dating but it doesn't hurt to be friendly. We could ask her to join us on our little gathering at Shiao Giah. Cadet Sulu and Cadet Chekov will be there so it won't look like you're trying to date her." River drawled with a roll of her eyes.

"If you wish for her to join us, then that is your choice. I will see you tomorrow at 1000."

That was the end of their conversation. River shook her head at Spock's denial. He could say that he was keeping a professional distance between his commander status and not taking advantage of their cadets. River knew that his attraction to Uhura was serious enough for him to use his own friend to set up a meeting outside of campus.

She checked on McCoy one last time to see that he was dozing on the bed. Reading his sleeping mind, she figure that he had about a bottle worth of bourbon in his system and was not in any danger of dying through the night. Pulling the blanket over his slumbering body, she combed his hair away from his face.

Funny, his hair was like the Captain's.

Closing the door behind her, River took the time to expand her mind out to the thoughts in the air. Shifting through them, she easily found where Cadet Uhura was and the rest of the cadets that Pike brought with him. It wouldn't hurt to extent her invitation now. After all, Spock was unintentionally counting on her.

Walking through the night, she took her time getting to the small bar when she felt Uhura's thoughts in a panic. Worried, River rushed into the bar, yanking the door and nearly ripped it from its hinges.

The scene before was something that she was used to- a bar fight. A quick assessment showed that four cadets were fighting against one young man. Receiving all the thoughts she saw the scene as if she were there. Apparently the young man was hitting on Uhura and one of the cadets punched him. Zeroing in on the large cadet, she scowled. It was one the idiots who actually passed her class. However, she needed to stop this right now.

One cadet had a beer bottle and was aiming it on the prone man's face when she grabbed his wrist and twisted it and the body to the floor. She was about to say something when she stopped another cadet's punch with her other hand. Apparently this one she had never seen before. Hooking one of her legs against his, she yanked and then jumped kick the idiot in the middle. Someone grabbed her from behind, trapping her arms to her side. Rolling her eyes, she bent forwards before snapping her head back and her skull meet a soft crunch of a nose breaking. Once the restraint slacked, she grabbed the arms that originally held her and threw the idiot over her shoulder. It was the idiot who started the whole mess.

Looking over to the last cadet, she smirked as he stood still. She could hear his thoughts that were in panic and fear. He knew just who she was and what it would cost for the three to attack a senior officer.

A loud whistle pierced the air. Looking over to the door, she saw that Pike and some of the crew stood there. Pike looked at the whole scene and then scowled.

"All of you, out. We'll discuss this as soon as Commander Tam reports to me just what the hell happened." He ordered. Many of the cadets paled as they realized the young female looking civilian was actually one of their commanding officers. Uhura gave a look over to River who just gave a wink. She would invite Uhura in the morning.

As the cadets rush quickly out of the bar, the young man who was currently sprawled on a table gave a bloody grin.

"You whistle really loud." He commented. River giggled at that. Then the young man lifted his head up a couple inches to look at her. "And you kicked ass."

Pike sighed and shook his head while River's giggles turned into laughter. There was something funny about this young man. She walked over to lean forward until their foreheads were touching and their breaths were mixing. She could smell the scent of booze, blood, sweat, and something that was engine grease mixed with a scent that she could only describe as male.

He was damn good looking and shiny.

"Kid, don't even think about it." Pike warned the young man who looked like he wanted to close the distance between their lips. "She's too young for you."

River pulled away to pout at Pike.

"I'll be eighteen soon." She grumbled. The young man gave a grin at that as she pulled him up from his sprawl on the table. He leaned against her and whispered to call him when she does. Giggling, River poked a bruise that she knew he was feeling and he hissed.

"So mind telling what happen here?" Pike asked looking over at River who rolled her eyes.

"He," River pointed to the young man. "was hitting on Cadet Uhura when Cadet Matthews threaten him to leave. He insulted Matthews and Matthews punched him. That got him into fighting with another three cadets. I would have stopped them for good if you hadn't come in."

Pike snorted at that.

"Then I would have four incapacitated cadets and I would need to replace them, Tam. I think you smashed that one's nose too well."

"I brought the doctor, besides it's their fault for attacking me. They should have known better." River stated while she grabbed some napkins to help clean up the blood on the man's face.

"So who's our guest here today?" Pike asked nodding towards the young man.

"James Tiberius Kirk." River and James answered together. Both men blinked in surprise but for different reasons.

"Hey, how did you know?" James asked frowning.

"George's kid?" Pike asked with shock.

River rolled her eyes at the two.

"You're the talk of the town." She told James. It was true, everyone in this town was thinking about this trouble maker, like the bartender there. Then she turned to Pike. "His father is George Kirk."

"Holy shit." Pike murmured. That got James to narrow his eyes.

"Yeah, so I'm the kid with the dead dad, what's it to you?"

Pike was silent for a moment before he looked over at River. She could read his silent request for to talk with James alone. She sighed and then began to walk slowly away.

"I'll see you later then Captain. Night Jim." She called out. She paused at the doorway when she read the thoughts that came from Jim. She giggled. Here was someone that man ape would appreciate when it came to women most of the time. Doing a pose that she often seen Inara do, she placed her hand on the door way and twisted her body so she could look over her shoulder. Placing her other hand on her hip she set her eyes at half mast and a pout on her lips which slowly turned into a small smile.

That got the thoughts going from her legs around his hips to his hands in her hair. She held that pose before she collapsed into a laughing fit. Pike shook his head at her little act.

"Good night, Tam." Pike stressed.

This time she left with a wave of a hand.

***

McCoy was sleeping peacefully when she checked on him in the middle of night. Making sure that there was an empty bin in case he got the urge to throw up, she left to wander a bit. The night was cool for a late summer day and it was refreshing compared to the heat of the day. She noticed that the light in the bar was still on and she felt tormented thoughts of one James T. Kirk. Walking in the bar, she saw the bartender was still sweeping the broken glass and wood that were still scattered on the floor and that Jim was sitting at a table playing with a star ship shaped salt shaker.

Without saying anything, she sat at the empty chair across from him. She saw half empty glass of whisky and she sipped it. It was different from the stuff that Kaylee made but it was slightly weaker. She held the bit of whisky in her mouth feeling the heat before she swallowed it. It didn't burn as much and she was glad that it went down smoothly.

"I thought you were underage." The man teased half heartedly with a smirk. River raised an eyebrow like Spock does when he was faced with a stupid statement.

"I am." She answered and took another sip.

They sat there in silence. River began to read his thoughts about the conversation with Pike, about his father, his life, and why. What good reasons would there be to be in Starfleet that has done nothing for his family? Starfleet took his father's life, took his mother away from him and Sam, gave him a step father who could never understand, and left him nothing but a hole in his soul. Why the hell should he care?

For a moment, River could feel something familiar about this young man before her. There was something about him that reminded her of home. Reaching out, she took one his hands and squeezed it.

"I knew a man once. He used to be an idealist and a great solider. He never gave up. Even if the world was crashing down, he jumped in with guns a blazin'." River began with a small smile. Jim raised his eyebrows at that. He was thinking that Pike had told her to do some magic about recruiting him.

"So?"

"So, he lost everything one day. He lost many of his friends. He watched people he knew die slow deaths that they never deserved. He lost the trust he had for his ideals. All he had was one good friend, a few credits, and the clothes on his back. He had no one else to turn to. There was no one would help him."

She could tell that Jim was taking a slow interest in what she was saying. He still thought she was making up stories to get him to soften up.

"That man one day went to buy a ship. The dealer was showing him ships that were old but still serviceable and popular. But instead of buying one of the used still flashy ships, he chose an old nearly extinct model that wasn't even prettied up to be sold."

"That's moronic. What? He fell in love with it at first sight?" Jim mocked. River gave a smile at that.

"That's what happened. His friend called him an idiot for wasting credits on an old clunker that was going to cost more in repairs then the ship itself. But that man saw something in that ship that called out to him. He spent, borrowed, and even stole to get that ship to work. He found himself a pilot, a good mechanic who loved that ship as much as he did, and even found a doctor who kept the med bay to serviceable level. He gave that ship all the love he had and that ship gave back just as much. Do you know why?"

She now had his full attention. He was hypnotic about the story of the man and the ship. There was a fierce light in his eyes.

"Why?" he asked softly. His grip on her hand was tight.

"Because that ship was his and he was her captain. A pilot can maneuver her out of danger or get her to fly the best damn dive in the world. A mechanic can fix her and keep her in good working condition. But a captain? He does something that no one else can do better. He loves her. He loves her because deep down she is a part of him and he is a part of her. No ship will ever forget their captain and no captain will ever leave her alone. Your father gave up his life to save those eight hundred lives. He didn't do it alone."

Pulling her hand away she could tell that what she said had affected badly enough that his hand was shaking. Quietly, she refilled his glass with the whisky.

"You have a choice here. You can stay here and live a decent life if you try. You can settle down and grow some roots. No one will blame you for it. It's a good life." She said softly. He looked down at the glass, but she pulled his chin up so she could stare into his intense blue eyes. "Or, you can get up and take the chance. Take the chance in getting your own ship and become her captain. You can find love with any organic being, but you rarely find love like being the captain of your own star ship."

With that, she left him sitting at the bar.

***

Morning came and River woke up groggily at 0700. She dressed quickly and then went into McCoy's room to wake him up. He smelled like booze and she shoved him in the shower, threatening that she would wash him up if he didn't get out in ten minutes. He managed with grumbling curses but her time limit didn't give him enough time to shave.

"We need to eat or at least you need to. All that bourbon isn't good for you if you didn't get that protein and vitamin C in you." She scolded.

"I'll probably throw it back up once the piece of tin starts flying." He muttered. She rolled her eyes at him before dragging him to the local diner.

The food was not as good as the other places, but the bacon was decent and so were the eggs. River ate a large breakfast while McCoy picked most of his food. She gave up in getting him to eat and began to eat his portion as well. It was never good to waste food back home and she was not going to start now.

"You should eat as much as possible. You'll be stuck with crappy replicated food soon enough." She warned.

"As long as they can replicate acceptable booze, I could care less." McCoy retorted but forced himself to finish his eggs before River could.

They arrived at the docking port by the Enterprise by 0745. River made sure that McCoy's luggage and her own were in before forcing into the shuttle to take a seat. She took time to discuss with Pike about the possible punishments of the four cadets (which was suspension from going out of campus for the rest of the fall term) when she felt a buzz from a far.

It was a curious one of wariness and excitement. There was a sort of possessiveness tone as a flash of a constructing star ship filtered into her mind. Smiling, she looked up at Pike.

"Looks like that Kirk boy is signing up Starfleet."

A slow smile spread over Pike's face. River could see the hope and the pride on his face as a small figure came closer in a fast pace.

"I knew he would."

James T. Kirk rode his motorcycle close to the shuttle before handing the keys to a nearby crew member who admired it. Looking over where River and Pike stood, he nimbly walked up the steps to the shuttle.

"Four years? I'll do it in three." He promised arrogantly and winked at River. She gave him a smile and a nod while Pike shook his head.

"Get in there." He ordered. Jim entered into the shuttle and a few seconds later, Pike and River heard a loud bang.

"Ow!"

River laughed at that while Pike sighed before grinning at her.

"It's going to be exciting now." He said before shooing River inside.

***

River walked in and gave cold glares that had the injured cadets staring down at their feet.

"You're lucky that most of you have passed my course. Last night's incident would have guaranteed that you need to retake it. Let this be a lesson while you're stuck in the academy grounds for the rest of your fall term. Starfleet doesn't need people who start fighting against petty insults. Klingons and Romulans would have said worse and instead of being suspended, it would have caused your deaths and war for the Federation." She lectured. Once all four heads nodded, she left.

There were emotions of anger, injustice, and fear in all their thoughts but none would dare to go against her or Pike's decision.

Heading towards the cockpit, she came across a mess that was hilarious. McCoy apparently was hiding in the restroom stall and the attendant found him. The man was making a fuss out of his phobia and the intelligence of the attendant. River could feel that the patience of the woman was coming to an end.

"What seems to be the problem here?" River asked politely. The attendant looked over to her with a mix of relief and wariness while McCoy glared at her.

"She want me to sit here when I had a perfectly decent one in the stall where there aren't any windows." McCoy ranted.

Frowning, River motioned the attendant to move along before she leaned over at McCoy and maneuvered him to an empty seat. Placing her hand on his chest, she looked up at him. She could feel his heart pounding from the stress and that his thoughts had stilled to stare down at her.

"The stall doesn't have seatbelts. You'll bang your head against the wall and get a concussion. No one will be there to help you." She said with a pout. There was moment where he was caught off guard and River took that chance to sweep his feet under him and landed his butt on the seat. Before he could get up, she straddled his lap and quickly fastens the harness. "There. No point in getting out now."

Turning over to the side, she noticed Jim was the neighbor and he had a shit eating grin on his face. Reading his thoughts she shook her head at him.

"No, I won't do the same if you do that." She told him as she got up from a shocked McCoy. Jim gave a mocking sad look.

"Awww, how did you know? Besides, aren't you still a minor?" he teased. River bent down and patted his head.

"Worry about yourself and Uhura isn't going to give you her name." with that she skipped away.

"Does that mean you know it?!"

River was close to the cockpit when-

"DAMMIT! I'M A DOCTOR NOT SOMEONE WANTING A LAP DANCE!"

She laughed and closed the cockpit door.


	10. The Bugging Game

Jim chuckled in amusement at the guy's rant on him being a doctor and not some closet Lolita pervert. There was something so amusing about this Tam girl and it wasn't because she was easy on the eyes. Tam was easily the most interesting person that Jim had ever met in his life. Uhura was fun, but she was too serious and slightly disgusted with him (he did managed a nice three second feel on her rack- awesome) while Tam seemed to get him.

He briefly wondered where she heard that story of the guy and his ship. Maybe she made it up, but it did work. For once in his life, James T. Kirk was going to get what he should have gotten in the first place- his own star ship.

Looking over at the doctor who was now fidgeting, he wondered what was up with him. The guy was older and looked more like a hobo then a recruited. Then again, so did Jim. He just drove into the night without thinking before he decided to take the chance that was handed to him.

"God damn girl and her I-can-kick-your-ass attitude. I'm a grown man and I don't need to take this from her."

Jim quirked his eyebrow at that.

"So I take it you know her?" he asked grinning. The doctor scowled at him and narrowed his eyes.

"Damn girl kidnapped me and got me recruited when I was still out of it."

From the smell of booze, Jim had a good idea that Tam had gotten the good doctor to join up when he was drunk. Pressing his lips together, he could see it being done.

"Well, I'm pretty sure that these things are safe." Jim said offering some comforting words. The other man gave him a disgusted look.

"Safe? Let me tell you, kid. Just one tiny crack on the hull-"the doctor began. Then the shuttle suddenly shudder and Jim could feel if lift itself from the ground.

"Kinda of late now." He told the man cheerfully. He could see the doctor turn pale before he shut his eyes.

"Sorry, but I may throw up on you."

"You know, for someone entering into Starfleet, you sure don't seem to like flying." Jim mused.

"Well, got no place to go. Damn ex took the whole planet. Got nothing but my bones and the shit that girl bought for me." The man muttered before taking a small silver flask and took a large gulp from its contents. Then he handed the flask the Jim.

Taking it, he could tell that it wasn't whisky but bourbon. Taking his own mouthful he introduced himself to the odd man.

"Name is Jim Kirk. Thanks for the offer Bones."

Bones gave him a sour look and grabbed the flask back.

"Bones? What kind of name is that?"

"Yours until you tell me what it is."

"The name is Leonard McCoy."

"Bones it is." Jim concluded with a grin. Bones looked like he wanted to yell but seem to understand that there was no point in arguing. Taking a long drink from his flask, he glared over at the younger man.

"I don't like you."

"Aww, Bones! You'll love me."

***

River giggled and absently drummed her fingers on the dashboard. Beside her, the co-pilot glanced at her nervously before studying the controls. Pike only looked up from his PADD before he asked.

"What's making you happy, commander?"

"Your prize recruit and my doctor are becoming friends." She answered dreamily. He raised a brow at that. Jim, he imagine, could be charming if he didn't get cocky, but the doctor that he met this morning appeared to have an attitude of a hermit. "My doctor doesn't know it yet."

"Is that so?" Pike asked in good humor. She turned to face him and pouted.

"Yes. Your recruit won't be able to stay out of trouble, I know it. My doctor will save him all the time."

"Your doctor must have a secret identity as a saint. How is Spock?" Pike asked. Then noticing the nervous co-pilot, he silently ordered River to at least appear that she was paying attention.

"Bored." River answered with a sigh as she faced the front.

"I wasn't aware that Vulcans would admit such a state." He mused with a small smile.

"He was bored. Made up logical excuses on why I should return home with you instead of waiting for me in a few days."

Pike grinned at that. He was right about those two. Spock was someone that River could rely on and Spock had River to loosen up at least in her presence. He did not believe in the rumors about them being a couple. If that were true, River and Spock would have been already married by Vulcan law.

"It would be in space." River blurted out loud. Pike looked up in surprise. "The wedding. It would be in space."

The co-pilot tried his best to ignore the laughing captain and the joke that he was obviously missing.

***

Uhura had finally brushed Kirk off (how the heck was she going to deal with him in the academy) when Commander Tam came up to her with a smile. Uhura smiled back however she was uncertain about this female who was technically younger than her and her superior.

Commander River Tam was the most popular commander to the cadets in Starfleet. Mostly it is due the fact that she's only seventeen or eighteen and already in a high level position. Not even Cadet Chekov would be a commander, just an ensign or a lieutenant when he graduates. There were even rumors that Commander Tam had tested out in everything and was awarded the position without taking a single class. Also, the male half of the cadets was crazy for the commander because she was pretty hot.

Everything about Commander Tam was practically perfect. She was one of the most intelligent beings to exist, a skilled hand-to-hand fighter, and she was very close friends to Commander Spock. They had to be very close with the amount of touching that Commander Tam does with Commander Spock in public.

Uhura knew Vulcan protocol. She knew that touching a Vulcan would be an insult due to their touch-telepathy and that they were private people. Originally, she had thought with Commander Spock's heritage of being only half human, he had grown up with human affection. However as she studied him longer, she concluded that Commander Spock had an attitude of a full blooded Vulcan and Commander Tam was special.

Personally, she did not know what she felt about the commander. While in class, the commander was professional and ruthless at times. She did not abide fools and Uhura respected that attitude. However it was the out of class experience with this commander that gotten her confused. Outside of the classroom, Commander Tam was simply charming and odd. She was always laughing or giggling about something.

Nothing seemed to surprise the commander from the cadet who had a legit excuse of losing his paper that she assigned to the idiot who tried to convince everyone that he was late because a superior asked for his help (Uhura enjoyed how Commander Tam ripped that idiot since it was discovered.) There were even rumors about the commander having a special spy network and that the other professors and commanders were wary of it.

However, Uhura could not believe that. Commander Tam was independent with the exception of Commander Spock and she could not imagine the Vulcan agreeing to anything that would breach protocol.

"Cadet Uhura." Commander Tam greeted with a nod and an amused smile.

"Commander Tam. May I help you?" Uhura asked cautiously. The younger female's smile grew just a bit before it was suppressed.

"I was wondering if you would like to have dinner with me and several other friends off campus tonight."

This invitation surprised Uhura. Rumors have it that the other friends were in fact two cadets, Chekov the Russian genius and Sulu from one of her classes. Sulu was always giving Commander Tam flowers during class and while it may be borderlining on a breach of protocol, there was no evidence that there was a serious relationship between the two. Chekov is said to be good friends with Commander Tam and Spock. Both commanders were always seen talking and eating with the young Russian.

That meant Commander Spock would be there as well.

Uhura was always honest with herself. She knew to appreciate an attractive man, but she also learned how to appreciate a man who could converse without his eyes wandering down south. While Kirk had the looks and the wit to match with her, she knew that he was not the type that would never satisfy her needs in a relationship. Commander Spock was different.

The half Vulcan and half human male looked like the type who looked for a companion with desirable traits in manners, mind, and body. While she was pretty sure she scored high in all three, Uhura did not know if Commander Spock thought so. He always replied to her questions with honesty and never seemed bothered whenever she had a question despite how much they debated during class. He seemed to appreciate the idea of her determination in learning and doing well.

"It would help for Spock to have someone else converse in Vulcan besides me. He gets tried of listening to Russian, Japanese, and Chinese even though he's pretty good at them himself. Besides, you can improve your conversation skills for the future. It'll make him feel better that he's teaching instead of hanging out with cadets." Commander Tam explained with a roll of her eyes.

Uhura felt an urge to snap at the commander that Commander Spock was thinking about protocol and how people would perceive a group mixed with cadets and commanders would look. Commander Tam gave a giggle and her brown eyes shined with amusement, but what Uhura had no idea. Composing herself, Uhura managed to look neutral.

"I would be happy to join you and the others for dinner."

"Good!" Commander Tam said grinning. For some reason, Uhura felt like she had fallen into a trap. "I'll meet you at your dorm at 1800. Have a nice day, cadet!"

She watched the commander jog away from her and grab a hold of Commander Spock's arm who had apparently been waiting for her. For a moment, Uhura's eyes met his. He seemed so still and Uhura wondered just how special Commander Tam was to be able to touch him and for him not to decline at a human. She knew there were many female cadets that often look longingly for the male. While the haircut was out of fashion, there were many rumors about Vulcans and their capacity as lovers. She knew one cadet, Chapel, who was seen often trying to catch his attention.

Suddenly, the commander gave a nod before he turned away with Commander Tam. Uhura felt the air stolen from her lungs. It was small, but it was a greeting. Looking around her, she noticed that the people behind her were not paying any mind to what just happened.

Commander Spock had greeted her.

With a smile plastered on her face, Uhura hurried to get her belongings and to get back to the dorms. Dinner could not come soon enough.

***

For the first time in a long time, River felt out of place. While at the beginning, she chatted with the owner in Chinese and then gossiped with her friends, she noticed how an odd number of friends did not go well. Chekov and Sulu were currently arguing about their homeland dishes, cultures, and tactics. Spock and Uhura were conversing in Vulcan about the communications program.

Studying her friends, she felt herself thinking about her old life. Watching Spock and Uhura converse was like watching her brother and Inara talk about the Core planets and cultures. She remembered how much they both miss the more civilized world at times and their conversations tend to ebb that desire. River could remember how much Kaylee would feel jealous but said nothing since she loved the two very much.

Sulu and Chekov were like Book and Jayne discussing something while exercising in the cargo bay. Her heart pinched as she thought of Book and the last time she saw him covered in blood and using his last words to give strength to the Captain.

If River could just close her eyes and ignore the thoughts, she could pretend that she was in a bar with her family. The mix of different languages of various patrons, the clanking and clinking of the dinnerware, the mixture of food, sweat, heat, gasoline, and perfume were slowly taking her to a world where humans were the only living beings and there were only two sides of justice. She was in a bar, the kind that didn't have the whores that Jayne liked but enough pretty serving girls to satisfy him. There was only her, Jayne, Zoe, and the Captain. Everyone else was back on the ship because they were looking for a new job.

She's sitting on the counter, nursing a glass of juice because Zoe firmly tells the men folk that they would be missing a vital part if something funny come her way. Captain is between her and Zoe while Jayne is on her other side. He says it's for protection. For whose protection he never says.

The Captain and Zoe were murmuring, watching out for their new client while counting on her to read everyone and make sure that there isn't someone hiding to take them out. There were times when someone was hiding to take a shot at the Captain. Jayne was there because he was big, strong and good with a gun.

Plus if they need to leave someone behind, Jayne was it.

She could almost feel the press of metal against her thigh because Jayne was leaning to the side to get a good look at a female's skirt.

_River._

Waking up from her impromptu meditation, River blinked to see that Spock had placed his hand over hers and that everyone else was staring at her. Pulling her hand away, she mentally swallowed the bitterness of reality into the depths of her mind. Right now, she was eating with her friends not back in a bar with family surrounding her.

"Mediated too hard." She said easily with a small smile.

"Meditation should be done privately." Spock stated and poured more tea into her cup. Giving a nod in thanks and to confirm with his statement, River sipped her hot tea.

"Meditation?" Chekov asked curiously.

"River does Vulcan meditation to strengthen her mind." Spock answered.

"It helps me concentrate better." River added hoping to close the subject. While she was not exactly ashamed of her reading ability, she knew how uncomfortable people get around her. Sulu would probably be unable to look at her in the eye for months.

"Interesting. Is this something that you suggest that everyone do?" Uhura asked with an interested look. River looked down to control her smile while Spock only gave a slight tilt to his head as he considers the question.

"Some may benefit with the exercise, however it is in my experience with non-Vulcan races; meditation is an option. They have found ways to strengthen and exercise their minds that differ to those that I know."

Rolling her eyes, River looked over to her two other friends who looked confused about the conversation. Smiling she signaled the owner that they were done with dinner. A few minutes later, he came back with a tray full of coffee gelatin dessert drizzled in cream. Making sure that a bit of gelatin was soaked in the cream; River sucked the bite and wondered on how her doctor and Pike's favorite were doing. Searching through the air of thoughts, she caught a brief of thoughts that sounded like the doctor. The thoughts were concentrated on a figure flirting with an alien female. She could feel his amusement and annoyance.

At least the two were getting along.

She turned her mind towards Jim and found his thoughts in two directions. One was how much fun sex would be and if the cadet had a boyfriend, how much fun the fighting would be. Shaking her head, River could only think that Jim and Jayne could be brothers. Sex and fighting were the two main choices of entertainment for those two. At least Jim does prefer the academics more than Jayne did. Man ape never thought book learning was much unless it was for his ma.

Pulling her mind back the present, she finished her dessert and got involved in a conversation with Sulu about kendo.

***

The dinner that night had ended with all five of them watching the latest interspecies flick that Spock found illogical but admitted that he could see the entertainment value of the storyline. River could barely enjoy the movie as the story was about a group of people from different races and backgrounds coming together to work against a common threat. It had reminded her of Serenity and she made sure she did not touch Spock to worry him and to lose this chance for him to get closer to Uhura.

Not that he noticed the chance that boob.

They had left Sulu and Chekov at the male dorms and were about to escort Uhura to her dorms (River was trying to think of an excuse to leave them alone) when two figures staggered. From the thoughts that were coming out of one, River instantly knew that it was McCoy and Jim. Only that Jim was currently being half carried by McCoy.

"You two go ahead. I'll make sure that these two are okay." River said instantly taking the chance to leave the two alone.

Spock hesitated but River winked at Uhura who seemed to understand that River wanted to leave them alone. Although Uhura was confused from the thoughts in her head she gave a nod. River gave Spock her don't-be-stupid look and shooed them away. He finally gave up and proceeded to walk with Uhura.

Watching them leave for a minute, River turned to jog up to the two males. McCoy had stopped when he saw someone coming over and he blinked in surprise to see it was that girl. River merely nodded and bent down to look up at the bowed head of one Jim Kirk. She could see he had a black eye that was beginning to form, drunk like hell, a split lip, and a cut on his forehead.

Silly boy hadn't even bothered to wait to heal from the last fight.

Without saying a word, River went to the other side of Jim and helped McCoy support him.

"Didn't think I'd see you here again." McCoy murmured as they entered the dorms.

"I knew. I'll see you again tomorrow too."

McCoy shook his head and they stayed silent again. The walk to the room was only about five minutes and River entered into the nearly bare dorm room before the doctor could protest. They dumped Jim's body on a bed and McCoy checked to make sure that his roommate was positioned so that he wouldn't die over night. River watched him absently perform the duties of a friend and a doctor. It was soothing to watch someone performing medical procedures like her brother did.

Except, Simon had less wrinkles and he laughed more now that he had accepted Serenity as home.

This doctor still had the taste of bitterness of life, loss, and sorrow in his thoughts and it seemed that being a doctor was the only way for him to face life. Zoe was like that now. Ever since Wash died from the Reavers' helm, working for the Captain was the only thing that made her seem alive. Sometimes River would sneak into bed with her when the thoughts got really bad. At first, Zoe had scolded her about breaking into her cabin, but gave up and let the younger female do what she wanted.

Zoe had always smelled of leather, gunpowder, and warm spice. And when she wrapped River up in her sleep, dreaming of Wash, she could feel the heartbeat that drummed steady to lull her to sleep.

River wondered if Zoe could sleep without her there.

Sitting down on Jim's bed, she carded her fingers through his short hair and looked at McCoy who seemed pensive.

"It'll be okay." River murmured to them both.

"Damn kid is going to get himself killed here." McCoy snapped. "Stupid shit just jumped into a fight."

"He knew that she had a boyfriend." River mused. That got McCoy's attention. "He thinks of the night in two ways. Have fun with the girl or have fun with a fight. It's his way of knowing he exists."

"How'd you know about the girl?"

River raised an eyebrow at that.

"Isn't it always about the girl?"

He nodded at that. Most bar fights often did start with the girl. Watching the young girl sit and brush Jim's hair brought a protective side in him. If that girl was falling for the kid, it was not going to be pretty. McCoy was not stupid, he knew the signs of a neglected child and Jim screamed it out. The neediness of some form of physical contact, the uncaring attitude of what people say, and the lack of authority proved that Jim Kirk felt alone in this Earth. It would take a patient woman, man, or alien to handle him and while the girl was weird, McCoy did not believe that she could handle a relationship with Jim.

"I'm not interested in him like that."

McCoy looked up to see her watching him without pausing her brushing. There was an amused smile on those lips and her eyes were sparkling.

"Didn't say you were." He replied.

"But your face tells me it. He's shiny but shiny isn't going to cut it for him. Everyone is going to look at him. He doesn't need me to screw it up." Getting up, she walked up to McCoy and pressed a chaste kiss on his stubble cheek. "Stay with him. He's going to need you."

With that, she disappeared out the door.

Touching the spot that her lips met, he could smell that flowery scent from before. It was a friendly type of kiss, nothing more. It reminded him of sloppy kisses from his baby girl before the divorce. Looking down at the kid, he knew that her words were true.

This kid is James Tiberius Kirk, son of George Samuel Kirk who was one of the greatest heroes to exist. All of Starfleet is going to be looking at the son of the dead hero and the little shit was going to need all the help he could get. Sagging down to his bed, McCoy wondered just what the hell he had gotten himself into. Then he shrugged it off.

As long as somebody needs him, he'll do the best damn job he can.

***

Jim Kirk was in pain but gritted his teeth.

Apparently getting into another fight before healing from a previous one and getting his ass up for class was not a great idea. Bones had scolded him and offered a pain killer but he refused. Mostly because the way Bones was holding that hypo was pretty scary to see when waking up.

He paused for a moment. Was Bones even allowed to have that in their room?

Right now, he was waiting for Bones to finish with his coffee so that they could go to their first class of ethics and protocol – a class that he apparently was not allowed to test out of. He had tried but received from the personnel that the professor/commander who runs the department refused anyone from testing out. When he tried to argue about it, the personnel pulled out a mirror and told him that as long as he looked like he came from a bar fight, he could never prove his ability on ethics and protocol.

"Aren't you finished with that cup yet, Bones? I swear, I could have drank three from the way you drink your one." He whined. His older comrade just gave him a deadpanned look and took a long sip from his coffee. Jim scowled at the obvious barb on his words.

After a few more minutes, Bones finally finished his coffee with a smirk at the frowning Jim and threw the cup in the recycler. They both walked out of the mess hall to go to the classroom that was several buildings away.

"God, I hope this Commander Tam isn't some hard ass who has some complex with their kid." Jim grumbled. Bones raised an eyebrow at that.

"Don't tell me you already slept with his kid." Bones said with incredulity. Jim shook his head at that.

"Remember the girl? The one who got you to sit in your seat back in the shuttle?"

"Yeah, met her last night with you passed out drunk and bloody. She helped me get your drunken ass to bed." Bones replied with a smirk. Jim sighed and rolled his eyes. It seems that Tam girl was always seeing the bad side of him.

"Anyways, her name is Tam and I assume that it's her last name. She's probably got someone in the family connected to Starfleet and that's this Commander Tam. Tried looking up the bastard's file, but it's at a high level clearance."

"Kid, you just got here. Of course you can't access a high level clearance file. Come on. Maybe the girl hasn't told this Commander Tam anything. She seems to like you." Bones said as they finally entered the classroom.

The first thing they saw was that over half the class was already inside and they were mostly staring at one part of the room – the desk where the professor sat. Except the professor was currently reading a huge book that obscure their face and their feet were on the table. Not unusual except that the professor was a female wearing the black dress uniform of a high officer and those skirts were pretty short.

Luckily the professor seemed to taken account on that and had worn shorts. While Jim whistled his appreciation on the long legs, Bones mused if that was regulation.

"Okay, it's gotta be her mom or older sister. They sure got those leg genes right." Jim whispered as they took their seats. Bones just reached over and smacked his head but mentally agreeing about the legs.

It was a few minutes until the bell rang for the start of class. For a moment, nothing happened. Then the professor slowly put her book down and moved to stand. Jim felt like he had been suckered punch when the face of the hot legs professor came to view.

Her hair was different. The last time he saw her, it had been down. Now it was up in a messy bun with several strands of hair loose from the hold. The tight black uniformed looked real good on her slim form and those boots did something with her legs. He could hear Bones swearing under his breath about 'recruitment' and 'connections his ass'.

How the hell? Didn't Pike say she was under eighteen?!

"Good morning. This is Interspecies Ethics and Protocol. Many of you are wondering why this class is a requirement that can not be tested out or even be skipped in order to graduate." Her brown eyes stared at his blue ones before she paced away to another part of the room. "Over half of you like to have a good time during the evenings and you need to understand that here in San Francisco, there are probably more alien species here then where most of you use to live in. That means you need to be careful of what you do and say."

She turned and faced everyone with a sweet smile, but Jim could tell that her eyes were laughing at them.

"I am Commander River Tam, youngest commander here at Starfleet. All of you will pass my class or else I'll be forced to see your faces again in another term or year. I expect that your papers to be properly cited and reasonable. I will not give credit for creativity. One cadet wrote that in dealing with a Klingon, you shoot him before he shoots you. A valid suggestion, but not acceptable in my class."

The little story got most of the class to titter while Bones had snorted. Jim being a smart ass stood up.

"So that meant that you put the suggestion to use yourself?" he asked with a charming smile. Commander Tam smiled back.

"No Cadet Kirk. I found a different way in dealing with Klingons. It's called kicking their asses. Sit down."

As he sat down he heard Bones mumble that he could believe that. Jim started at her wondering why and how she managed to get the status of commander at the age of seventeen. She would have started at the age of ten or so to get where she was. Or it could be that her family connections got her this job, but she had to be intelligent enough to teach cadets who are older than her.

As she began her lecture, he absently wrote down notes while his mind was else where. He will graduate in three years and he'll serve a ship for four (hopefully he find some way to cut it down to two) and have his own star ship. He'll get Bones with him for Chief Medical Officer. While he only met the man just a couple of days ago; any man willing to help another from a stupid drunk night was a friend. Maybe if he tried really hard, he'll get Uhura as a communication officer. There has to be someone to brighten his day and her hot and fierce attitude was what he needed.

Staring down at Commander Tam, he wondered if she would agree to be part of his crew. She could be the Ambassador or the hottie who kicks ass or the –

"Cadet Kirk!"

Standing up in surprise, he looked to see Commander Tam looking up at him with a mix of wry amusement and exasperation.

"Yes, commander?"

"Please give explain to me why some alien species take offence to certain jobs that Starfleet provides and why certain titles are given to prevent such disputes."

Jim could almost swear that he was picked on because of the hottie remark in his head.


	11. Stars

By the end of the class, River was beginning to understand what it was like to have a debate in a middle of class like Spock did when Uhura was in his class. Cadet Kirk kept on arguing over just about every point that she made. While she knew that it was her fault for picking on him while he was daydreaming, she had not plan on guessing that he was going to get her back by being an ass.

"Everyone, I want you to read chapters one to three by the next class and write an essay about a personal experience base on those chapters. I don't want you to make up something and if you do, I will find out. Dismiss." She said as the bell rang.

While everyone began to walk down to the door, River went back to her desk and sagged into her chair. She could almost feel a headache starting. Did Cadet Kirk really have to question her on everything? Even he doesn't know why he was questioning her.

"So, commander? Might have been nice to know when you dragged me outta my home."

She looked up a the southern male drawl and gave a smile. McCoy was looking at her with scowl on his face.

"I didn't drag you. You bumped into me and I kidnapped you from a homeless existence. I think it's a better alternative." She replied with an amuse smile. She got a snort for her troubles. "Besides, you wouldn't have believed me."

"True." McCoy admitted. It was then that Jim came barreling down with a wide grin.

"Well, Commander! It's nice to meet you again. Anyway I could earn some extra credit?" he asked with a leer. McCoy glared and swapped the younger man's head. River just smile at that.

"You don't need to worry, Doctor. I've heard worse. Sometimes being the youngest isn't the greatest thing in the world. Shouldn't you two be going to your next class?"

"Not for another half-hour. Doesn't look like you have another class yet." McCoy said looking around. River nodded at that.

"It's the benefit of being the head of my department. I don't have to teach as much as the rest of the commanders and professors. Downside would be going on missions and doing dissertations. So far I've only done one little survey mission and three dissertations."

"It's because your age?" Jim asked. River just looked away in a far away gaze.

"Part of it is that. Most of it is that there are very few people who feel comfortable with me on a mission. The only other person willing is in a different department and they prefer to use him as a janitor."

"So, too young to do anything dangerous. Must drive you nuts not to be able to be promoted." Jim said with a sympathetic look. River rolled her eyes at that.

"If I wanted to be promoted, they'll do it. It's that no one wants to work under a kid, no matter how good they are." She pointed out and then got up. She had to meet Spock soon and all the talk about being stuck in the academy was making her antsy.

River wanted to be back in space. She wanted to see the stars, feel the shudder of the ship, hear the hum of the engine, and senses the peace that comes from being in space. Being here instead of the Black makes her feel marooned. Left out from everything she loved. It was frustrating that there wasn't a ship that made her want to come home to like the Serenity. If only there was a way to bring her home here –

She sat up so fast that she nearly knocked Jim off his feet when he got too close to place a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Serenity may not be here, but that doesn't mean she couldn't make Serenity here in this world. It was possible. All she needs to do is to make some blue prints, research the materials, fiddle with some engines, and she'll have a Firefly class star ship of her own. Spock was going to love this!

"Sorry! I got to go! Get to class you two!" River called out as she dashed out of the room. She was half way down the hallway when she felt McCoy's amusement and Jim's frustration. She pushed it out of her mind for now. Jim's failure at being friendly to her was nothing compare to making a brand new Serenity.

***

"While the idea is plausible, I do not feel that this project of your will be successful."

Spock watched River pout, knowing that she knew why he believed her plans would fail. While the youngest commander in Starfleet, River was not the most popular with command. The incident of the survey mission made most of the fleet fear her instead of respect her. Creating a small star ship that would only need the man power of five people or less was not logical for the goals of Starfleet.

He saw her face darken with some emotion (sadness, he assumed) and tried to find a logical reason for her to at least attempt the project. After two point six seconds pass, he found his reasoning.

"Designing a ship even one by memory would take months and possibly years to complete. By then, you may attempt to propose the idea and the rate of success in receiving the monetary funds would increase by thirty percent."

His friend was smiling by the time he finished his reasoning. River reached out and grabbed his hand. While his hands were the most sensitive part of his body, River's touch always felt gentle and warm. Her presence in his mind was a light breeze in his mindscape. The meditation exercises had improved her mental capacity beyond what he had expected.

Spock can now navigate through River's mind much easier then the first attempt. While many of her memories were faded from the travesties she had suffered, he could see many of the ones from her time in Serenity. Building a duplicate ship would help curb the homesickness that he occasional felt whenever they connected. He could see the ship from her memories. Worn metal plates of the hull, the two adjacent thrusters that could rotate to change the trajectory of the star ship, and the shape of the ship that gave River an impression that it was alive were the thoughts that Spock read through their connected hands.

"It's going to be beautiful. We'll have cabins for each of us and some for the others. We'll play games in the cargo bay and the medical bay is definitely going to be bigger. Simon's was too small. There should be some nicer cabins for guests like your parents or Captain Pike."

She kept on going with her plans and Spock could see what Serenity looked like. It was primitive in terms of technology. There were no replicators, no phasers, no warp cores, or turbo lifts. They had to cook fresh food manually. The star ship depend not only computers but the skills of the pilot to manually fly it in space. The inside of the ship was not orderly like he was used to, but it was what his mother would call homely. Walls of the living area were painted with frivolous designs and each cabin of the crew was decorated as their own. It was what River called a home.

However River's plans for her ship were going to include a warp core engine and Spock was curious in how she would accomplish that task. The smallest ship with warp capabilities was at least five times the size of this odd ship and anything smaller was considered a waste due to the materials being used having not enough energy to warp.

"It'll be fine. I have all the time in the 'verse to figure it out."

He looked down at his friend. She was looking up at him with brown eyes that reminded him of his mother's eyes. The expression on her face was on of serene peace.

"If you need help on your project, I will be honored to contribute in creating a communications system and networking system."

"I know. Maybe Cadet Uhura would be interested in helping. Too bad she's taking all those language classes now. We'll hardly see her now."

Spock ignored that comment. Ever since River met Cadet Uhura, she had been increasing the idea of companionship and has taken every chance to mention her name. While Spock agreed that Cadet Uhura was attractive and intelligent, he was not interested in having a mate as of now. His need for companionship was completed with River, Chekov, and occasionally Sulu. Cadet Uhura is a good student and an excellent conversing partner. However her presence tends to make him uncomfortable.

He remembered how emotional Cadet Uhura was during class whenever they debated on the lesson he prepared. Outside of the classroom, she reminded him of a Vulcan. It was not her appearance but her manner. Spock found it odd that an emotional creature such as Uhura would change her nature so oddly. He should think that it was logical of her to imply Vulcan like manners in his presence, but it made no sense.

His mother had worked hard to employ Vulcan ways in living on the mother planet for Vulcans. However Cadet Uhura has no logical reason other then the human custom of being polite.

_Stop being a boob. Uhura thinks you prefer to regulation and knows plenty of Vulcan culture._

"Logically, I should appreciate the consideration, however I find it disconcerting."

_I know. I think it's funny the way she acts with you and how she acts with her friends._

There was bitterness in his mind that he could not tell if it was River's or his own. Different, always different and never belonging to anyone. That was something that both he and River share.

"I believe that we are getting off topic to your plans in creating a star ship. Perhaps, you should acquire the help of Cadet Chekov in a simulation of the ship's design against a warp."

From the way River was biting her lip, he knew that she understood to drop the subject of Cadet Uhura. That did not mean that she would stop.

"Chekov would like the idea. I'll start creating a flying simulation for Sulu and see how he likes this sort of piloting then the standard Federation star ship. Maybe I should ask Dr. McCoy about the medical bay."

Spock quickly searched through her mind to find more about this Dr. McCoy and found him fascinating. A human doctor that River recruited and an excellent one. He wondered if this doctor reminded her of Simon.

_Not really. Simon has better manners but McCoy can be charming. But they both like to help people._

They reached the phonics lab where Spock's next class was being held. The half Vulcan paused at the entryway before he looked down at his young friend. There was much to say with River's sudden decision in creating a new star ship. There was a part of him that wondered what River would give to find a way back to her universe. He concluded that there was a ninety-eight percent chance that she would agree to anything. Spock found his calculations to be disturbing. Life before River was acceptable. He expected and was correct in assuming about human behavior and how it would affect him. He was used to humans being uncomfortable with his half alien nature and their perchance on misunderstanding his own actions. Spock would always assure himself that they were the inferior in terms of emotional control and there were few who could understand like his mother did with his father.

Now, those past actions seemed unacceptable.

River while human was his other half. She understood more than his mother did of the difficulties of being different. She understood about strong emotions and had even suffered from them. She understood the reason why Vulcans buried them under strong layers of control and meditation. She understood the necessity of peace.

There would be no other like her to replace in his memory.

He looked down and felt the slightly cooler hand that cupped his cheek. Her thumb stroked his prominent cheek bone in a soothing gesture. She was looking at him with a small smile and he could feel the sadness that filtered from the touch.

"You do not understand logically, but there is nothing in this 'verse that I would not do short of murder to see them again. But I promise you, I won't leave without saying farewell to you. You are my best friend in any 'verse. Nothing will ever change that."

Spock covered her hand with his and closed his eyes. Taking a deep breath, he organized his thoughts with careful precision before he found what his reply should be.

_From my mind to yours, I shall never forget you and I shall support your decision be it now or in the future. You will live long and prosper in this or any universe should we be separated._

They pulled away from each other after that and Spock entered the lab while she turned away and left to the gym.

***

Hikaru Sulu was wiping the excess sweat from his brow when his eyes caught sight of Commander River Tam. No matter how many times he saw her, the younger female always took his breath away. She wasn't the most beautiful woman in the world but Sulu found that she had a beauty that was almost inhuman at times. Especially when she danced.

He knew that he was one of the many male cadets who admired her, but he knew better than to think of trying anything with her. It was not that he did not want to date her, but he felt inadequate to do so. She was intelligent that was beyond human comprehension and there was an innocence about her that made him feel afraid to tamper with.

Despite that, Commander Tam is a good friend. She was always friendly and never laughed at his hobby in botany like some of the other cadets did. Whenever possible, he would give her a bouquet of flowers. This term he will be unable to do as much as he liked, but there will be times where he'll be able to. It seems that whenever he gave her flowers, she always had that pleasant expression on her face of surprise and delight. And he has never gotten tired of it.

"Hello Sulu." She called out without looking at his direction. Sulu smiled at that. No matter where he was, she always knew he was there.

Watching her stretch, he realized that Commander Tam was in a dancing mood. He wondered what type of dancing she was going to do. Normally, she would do ballet, but lately she had been branching out into different genres such as hip-hop, contemporary, and folk dancing. It was odd that no matter what sort of dance it was, Commander Tam made it look easy and graceful. He hoped that she would do ballet, but from the lack of the slippers, it might be contemporary which was just as amazing.

"You can watch, Sulu."

He gave a sheepish smile. She always knew that he like to watch her dance and she liked it when he applause at the end like when he did when he first met her. Sulu jogged over to her and entered one of the rooms that separated from the main room of the gym. There were plenty of smaller rooms that were used for classes but they always had a window so others could watch without disturbing anyone. The previous term, he had watched from the outside, but now Commander Tam invited him into the room where he would be able to hear the music that she danced to.

Sliding down to the floor with a wall to his back, he watched her jump around and shake her limbs. It's funny now Sulu always felt that she looked amazing in a simple white wife beater and tight gray shorts with her hair loose from the bun.

"Computer, play random 21st century pop song."

In an instant, music blasted from the nearly invisible speakers and she moved. The music had a haunting quality to it and the lyrics were about farewells. It was not his type of music but he found it both peaceful and sad. It was the type of song people play when they were breaking up.

With each step, her body accentuated the depth of the song. Her arms moved in fluid grace with each raise, her lithe muscles barely showing the strain of the control it took, and then she was in the air in a flip where her legs curved that made the air still with wonder. When her feet touch the ground, it looked so light and Sulu could have sworn she was floating.

"Wow."

A male voice next to him breathed out the word in wonder and Sulu turned to see that someone had snuck in and sat next to him. He almost laughed at the dumbfounded look on the guy's face. He was obviously a cadet from the regulation uniform. Blond hair, blue eyes, and obviously a good looking guy, Sulu had a feeling that Commander Tam had made another admirer from the student body.

"Yeah." Sulu agreed in a whisper while his eyes went back to the dancer who jumped with her body in an arc and her hands in her long hair. Instead of landing on her feet, she allowed herself to fall and roll before picking herself up to spin on one leg.

Then he noticed the expression on her face. Her tense face and the shine of her eyes made his heart ache. Suddenly then dance was the saddest thing that he had ever seen in his life. Her arms clutched to her body as if to protect herself from whatever it was that made that expression. The fluid movement of her feet across the floor looked more like running and each jump looked as if she were reaching for something. The dance that was full of fluidity and grace was turning into a desperate escape.

Sulu did not know why, but he felt his body move on its own and he was striding across the room. Her head snapped to stare at him before she ran towards him. Spreading his arms out, he caught her as she jumped to him. The force of her body colliding his made him rotate to prevent himself from falling on his back. As he turned, he could smell the scent of flora, sweat, and shampoo as his nose buried into her hair. He could feel her arms clutching around his neck and her legs wrapped around his waist. Her face was buried into his neck and her breath was warm against his skin. His chest could feel the racing heart beat that seemed desperate to explode from her body. Absently he knew just about any guy would kill to be in his position, but he was worried about the trembling that he could feel in his arms.

She was not crying but clutching him tightly, as if she was afraid of loosing him. With one arm around her waist, he stroked her hair with his other hand. It was a few more seconds before he could stop turning and by then the music ended. They stayed silent for a moment before he felt her legs loosen and then allowed her body to slide down from his. Looking down, he saw whatever that had bothered her was gone for now. She gave him a wry smile.

"Not bad Sulu. Maybe you should be my partner." She teased. He grinned at that.

"I don't need any more reasons to stab people, Commander. Bad enough they think I'm a wuss for being a gardener."

Rolling her eyes, she turned to look at the other person with annoyance. The guy looked amused for some reason and Sulu could see his eyes traveling up and down the commander's body. If the idiot was going to try anything, he was going to be surprised and dead if Commander Spock and Chekov found out. Sulu knew better than to avenge Commander Tam from overly hormonal cadets. The woman could take care of herself. He had the bruises to prove that.

However Commander Spock and Chekov were different. The strict commander had a habit of reporting anything that he found inappropriate and subtly threatening the more vigorous cadets with suspension and expulsion. Chekov though was a real terror. The fourteen year old adore Commander Tam and Sulu knew about the numerous computer errors that would happen to the more annoying pursuers such as laundry errors, computer viruses on the comms, and the replicators. Sulu had been lucky that Commander Tam liked him otherwise he would be facing all of that.

"Cadet Kirk, don't you have class? And where is McCoy?"

Kirk, Sulu remembered hearing that name once.

"Bones is at the hospital right now. He's being interviewed about a position. I'm here to check out the facilities on my free time. I have to say, commander, you are amazing." Kirk answered with a smile.

With a sigh, Commander Tam looked over to Sulu.

"I'm going to clean up. We'll spar at another time Sulu." She said with a smile. Walking pass Cadet Kirk, she stuck her tongue out at him and laughed before disappearing out of the room. The two men were silent before Kirk pursed his lips.

"So, you two together? I mean, I don't want any trouble, usually." Kirk said with a lopsided grin. Sulu felt exasperated but had to smile. There was something about this guy that made him want to punch or laugh.

"No. She's a good friend. But I wouldn't try it. She's not yet eighteen and she got seriously powerful people to take vengeance if you do." He warned. Kirk raised an eyebrow at that.

"As in high in Starfleet?"

"As in getting your ass expelled or making your life in the dorms so miserable that you'll be begging to quit. So if you like to eat decent food and not having your alarm set to sound every single hour of the night, I wouldn't try anything on her. But she's good to have as a friend."

Sulu could see Kirk's face soften just a bit before his grin grew wider.

"I'll keep that in mind. It's not like she's the only girl here. I don't want too much trouble. Besides, I think Bones will kill me if I do and he's the doctor."

They both chuckled even though Sulu had no idea who this Bones person is.

"I'm Hikaru Sulu. Commander Tam usually comes to the gym at irregular intervals, but if you do catch her here, don't take her offer to spar, she'll kick your ass."

"Jim Kirk. I think I'll wait until I'm sure about hand-to-hand to attempt that." Kirk replied. "Saw her kicking ass in a bar fight."

Sulu laughed at that.

***

Chekov frowned as he studied the PADD with intense concentration.

"I don't know, Commander. Putting an FTL drive on something this small is not possible."

He could see her lips pressed with frustration at his conclusion. However Pavel Chekov could not lie to her. The ship she was planning to design was only 82 meters longs and 52 meters high. Base on the design of the engine room itself, it was not enough room to fit a single chamber. Much less anything else to help support it.

"I know, Chekov. But there should be a way to convert the energy of the matter and anitmatter into a small space. It's not possible with a shuttle, but it should work for a ship this size." She replied in Russian. "What if we change the shape of the warp core chamber? We could apply an old method of using coils to regulate the energy."

"The idea is good if you want this warp core to power the ship, but for a warp, I do not think it is wise, at least with this design." Chekov said shaking his head. "It would be better to follow the Constitution class vessel design."

Sighing, she took the PADD away from him before she gave a tired smile.

"Sorry. I've been working on it for a couple days. It's just frustrating that the design of it is preventing the warp core."

He nodded understanding her passion. Ever since Commander Spock mentioned about Commander Tam's desire to design a ship, Chekov, Sulu, and Uhura were trying to support her. Uhura had thought the ship to be cute and the ideas of the communications system to be adequate. Sulu thought her idea of manual controls was odd, but had jumped aboard on the idea. Chekov had been excited especially when Commander Tam said that if they ever get it built, all of them would be trying it out.

"The coil design is not bad, but for it to work, you would need to integrate the entire ship for the energy to keep traveling without blowing up."

"True and I would need to find a way to keep it from overloading too. I'll think about the engine design later. I just wish I could find an engineer crazy enough to pull this off with me." She grumbled. Chekov gave a groan at that. Engineers were crazy but they also like to keep things simple.

"Good luck with that. Engineers like them big. At least that is what I heard from someone."

"And everyone is dying to get to the Enterprise. I know Spock and I have places, but you cadets are such eager birds about flying from the nest." Commander Tam said with a small smile. Chekov blushed at that.

"The Enterprise is supposed to be the latest ship in technology. What cadet would not give anything to join her?"

She sighed and shook her head at him. For some reason, Commander Tam disliked the bigger star ships.

"It's too big. Too many people getting in the way and it makes me feel stifled."

The fourteen year old only chuckled at the strange answer. Commander Tam was funny and he likes her for her companionship. Chekov was not blind and he did have a crush on her, but he was afraid of going against the older males of their friends. Commander Spock is very close to her and Sulu is also very charming. Not only that, both men were tall, strong, and rather manly. He knew in terms of closeness, Commander Spock was the first while he and Sulu were tied. However there times that he felt jealous of the close bond.

He felt someone patting his head and saw that it was Commander Tam.

"Don't be worried. No matter what, I'll be glad if you and Sulu make it to the Enterprise."

Somehow, that comment made him feel better.

***

It took River about a month before she had a rough design of the ship that she wanted. She had been obsessed with the project that she barely paid any attention to her classes. Kirk was always trying to get a raise out of her and she rarely took the bait because she was eager to get back to designing her ship. In fact, most of her time was dedicated on the new Firefly class ship. That did not mean she ignored her friends. Spock and Chekov often met with her to discuss about the warp core going into their habit of going out to a 24 hour diner to discuss detailed to the early hours of the morning. Uhura would mention some suggestion for the communication systems and Sulu would sometime drag her out of her obsession enough to have a spar or two.

She had finally created an engine that would work out for her ship. In reality it was system of engines. The side thrusters were recreated to have a semi-circular structure around them to extend above them which would help boost the ship for warp. The main engine would also be connected to the warp core which would distribute the inert power around the ship through a transport system. Technically this idea alone would mean that the ship would be out of power during a warp; however River kept the original engine design to be used to help power the rest of the ship's systems during a warp.

The changes had cause her to increase the size of the ship by a third and base on the simulations that she had created, the most the ship could warp would be a six. While it was better than what Spock or Chekov had thought, she had hoped to make it an eight like most of the larger star ships. However that would mean she would need to increase the size of the ship and she didn't want to push the weight any more than necessary.

Her ship was going to be made for speed in the air, not for the bulk.

Now she was going to take the time to go into the details and that was going to take her months to complete. She was going to have to design and figure out where the systems are going to be laid out, the specific sizes of the rooms, and convince an engineer that it was possible to create a warp core small enough to fit in and to produce the power that she expected out of it.

Problem was that her friends were not engineers. While Spock and Chekov were some of the most intelligent people, they were not the best in creating a whole new engine. Sulu was a pilot and decent at strategy, but the only things he can create are organic in nature. Uhura while great at translations and showing a talent in hearing transmissions no matter how faint through the systems and great at bypassing wires to get something through had no talent in engineering either.

Maybe she should ask Cadet Kirk about it. River had been hearing rumors of him for a while now. While he was the Don Juan of Starfleet academy, he was also climbing high in the academic part. He had showed talent in engineering and she had overheard the professor complaining about how he was always tempted to either strangle the cadet or praise him.

However she put that thought away. As much as she liked to ask him, she would not. Kirk had enough on his plate in trying to cram four years of work into three like he had promised Pike at the shuttle. Besides the command track was the hardest out of anything that the academy could offer. Both Chekov and Sulu are taking a few classes so that they would have some qualifications in case they care to tryout. Uhura was currently thinking about it.

Right now, she was still working on her plans while walking towards the hospital. It had been a while since she saw McCoy outside of class and she felt it would do her some good to see him. Not that she liked the hospital much. The place inside reminded her of the lab that Blue Sun had owned during her time with them. She could sometimes feel that pain of something plunging into her brain, the cool sensation of something infiltrating into her blood stream, and the tight restraints that kept her from escaping.

So lost in the memories she failed to notice another cadet was into his own PADD and they collided with a force of two people in a hurry without looking.

River felt her body in the air and reacted quickly. Shooting out one hand above her head, she touched the ground and pushed against it so she had enough space to flip backward on her feet. She could feel the surprise of the cadet and his roar of pain and fury was heard.

"Damn you! Can't you see that I'm a walking?! What's the matter with you? Got stones for eyes or something?!"

Once her feet touch the ground, she looked down to see a red face cadet glaring up at her before his eyes widen in realization. River's mouth twitch at his thoughts of 'oh shit I'm going to hell!' and 'mum would kill me if she heard me yellin' at a lady!' He was funny and the more important part was that he was an engineer.

"You were the same as me. You were staring at your PADD and not watching what you were doing." Walking over and picking up his discarded PADD, she quickly scanned the contents in interest. It was about warp theory and the ability to beam something that was beyond the limited range of 100,000 kilometers. It was interesting and the equations that the cadet was attempting would fail but it was something different.

"My apologizes, ma'am. I didn't realize where I was going." He began but River cut him off.

"You're an engineer, am I correct?"

"Yes, ma'am. You need something done and I can get it done!"

River paused as she came across a memory of a homemade still and she smiled. Kaylee had made one back at home but it was no secret. It was the only thing close to free booze that they can get with so little money. She would need to add that for the engine room.

Taking her own PADD, she tossed it to the cadet who caught it in surprise. Then she reached out her hand and pulled him to his feet.

"Good. I want you to review this and give me your opinion of it. I expect you to meet me at the Simulation lab on the third floor of the science building by 1100 tomorrow. Are you clear, cadet?"

For a moment he stared at her in shock and then he looked at the PADD. His eyes grew wide and his face turns pale as he touched the screen to read more of the information. River half expected for him to start screaming at her that she was demanding the impossible and that she was crazy for even think about making such as star ship. Right now his mind was currently reading the information. Once he reached the designs for the warp core, he looked up and then promptly fainted.

She blinked in surprise and then quickly read his thoughts before rolling her eyes. River had just found the perfect candidate to attempt to design her warp core; she found a hard core engineer who had been without sleep for three days and just suffered a caffeine crash. Sighing with annoyance, she grabbed both PADDS under one arm and grabbed the cadet buy the back of his uniform.

If the cadet complained about having a worn patch on the back of pants because she was kind enough to drag him to the hospital then he's an ungrateful boob.

"Montgomery Scott, you and I are going to be good friends."

If he can't get the warp core done, at least she could demand the still.

***

"Dammit woman! You don't go dragging a man like that when he's unconscious!"

Of course, the younger female just ignored him as she hauled the cadet on a bio bed.

"This idiot is sleep deprived and has been going on with caffeine alone. Fix him." She said pouting. McCoy scowled and looked at the reading from the bio bed. The girl was right about the cadet.

"He's going to need to rest more and has to make sure he eats proper nutrition. If he's doing anything too physical he's going to need to back off for a while."

She nodded at that while still staring at the man she brought in. McCoy watched her for a few minutes before his thoughts went to Jim. Lately his roommate was going a bit crazy and overboard with the fights and the ladies. Not that he had bothered to bring any to their room. That was one thing McCoy was against in the beginning. The boy had been getting into more fights ever since Commander Tam has been practically ignoring him and McCoy.

McCoy did not mind so much. Despite her young age, he was pretty sure the girl had more than teaching work to do. He had his own work with classes and working at the hospital made him pretty busy to hang out with Jim except to patch him up on a hard night out of campus. For some reason, Jim was not taking the lack of friendliness from the girl. If she wasn't so distracted, McCoy could have sworn that half of the crap that Jim does in her class was a cry for attention.

"Sorry, I've been so busy with a new project. I heard good things about you and the hospital." She said softly. He shrugged his shoulders at that.

"No different than med school."

For a moment he debated on if he should say something about Jim. It wasn't like he was a busy match maker, just a doctor who knows his friend needs some assurance from this girl of something. Although he did not know what exactly. It was not like Jim was in love with her. That much he could tell with all the girls he had tumbled with. All of them were different and beautiful in their own ways which was what Jim liked about them. Cadet Uhura fulfilled Jim need of the challenging unbeatable conquest.

However he saw the look in those blue eyes whenever Commander Tam was in class. It was a look of some sort of longing mixed with determination. It was a hard look, not a loving one. And he could tell it was affecting Jim harder than the kid realizes.

"Look, could you just talk to him?" he asked gruffly. The girl faced him with a neutral expression before tilting her head to the side. "He thinks you're important enough that he's being reckless. Just talk with him."

Her expression softens and a sad smile formed on her lips.

"I didn't realize I affected him that badly."

"Well, you do, though God knows why."

"I'll talk to him." She promised. Once again, she kissed his cheek before she grinned. "You won't be working too hard tonight."

"Why? You're going to stop all the idiots in the world from being stupid?" he asked with a growl. The girl shook her head at that as she walked backwards to the entryway.

"Just a feeling. Tell Cadet Scott to make sure to study that PADD."

"Just get out of my hospital already! I'm a doctor, not your personal messenger, commander!"

***

Jim Kirk was getting a headache. Sure the cadet was pretty and it was fun to flirt with her, but seriously she was pushing him. So he slept with her a couple times, but she's associating a couple nights as a relationship. While she seemed a nice girl, Jim knew a relationship between the two of them would be a disaster.

He was about to turn her down again when someone jumped on his back and slender limbs wrapped around his neck and waist. A delicate flora scent filled his nose and a long piece of hair tickled the skin of his neck as a face pushed from his back and they were cheek to cheek. Looking down, he could see a pair of pale legs that looked really good around his waist and the sleeves of the uniform were black. Jim knew who it was and he felt his body relax for a moment.

"Commander?" the pushy girl said with surprise.

"Cadet Goodwin, I trust that you don't mind if I borrow Cadet Kirk from you?" the familiar female voice asked in a playful tone. Jim privately thought that she could borrow him for as long as she wants. "There is something I need to discuss with him about class."

"No Commander Tam. I'll see you later, Jim?" Goodwin said with an unsecured voice. He only smiled and shrugged his shoulders.

"Come on, Cadet Kirk. Get moving." Commander Tam ordered as she hit his head. He looked over his shoulder making their faces within inches of each other for the second time.

"Like this? It's not proper." He teased as he walked away. "So, am I getting that chance for extra credit?"

"Don't be stupid. I'm doing my duty to help my student. Look ahead." She said and moved his head to the front. They stayed that way for a few moments with Jim walking and her on his back. "I heard you've been acting outrageous."

He gave a laugh at that.

"Just letting some stress out. I got a crazy work load here."

"Don't make McCoy worry about you too much." She replied before he felt her lips near his ear and her breath warm and wet against his skin. He tense and tighten his grip on her legs. "I want to see you two get to the Enterprise when it sets off."

Warmth filled his body and he smiled at that. He wanted to get to the Enterprise as well. He could still see that half built ship on the ground of Iowa and he could feel that possessiveness in his blood of having a ship like that for his own. Then a mischievous idea crept in his mind.

"Thrusters are on full."

Catching on, Commander Tam tightens her hold on him.

"Thrusters ready. Weapons and shield are a go."

"All systems check and we're ready to go."

"Punch it!"

With that Jim dash off with Commander Tam screaming and laughing around the campus.

**Author's Note:**

> I can tell many of you are wondering about River here. River Tam now is able to live a normal life, that does not mean she does not have trouble with her mind being opened to outside thoughts and emotions. I'm not going to make her into some super happy girl but I want her to be mature compare to how she started out in Firefly.


End file.
